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Reigning Polytrack champion My Lucky Strike bounced back from a downturn in form to revisit the winner’s circle at his very first start for trainer Cliff Brown on Friday night.
The Charge Forward five-year-old has been struggling to regain his form for his previous handler Mark Walker this year, in sharp contrast to his previous season when he racked up win after win on the alternative surface to earn a well-deserved title.
The Lucky Stable went for a seachange in a bid to resurrect his career, picking Brown as his new trainer shortly after his last dismal run in a Kranji Stakes A race over 1200m when he was not making a yard at the back.
Whether it was beginner’s luck or not, My Lucky Strike suddenly produced a performance that has no doubt restored much of the gloss in Friday’s $100,000 Open Benchmark 97 race over 1000m.
Ridden by Michael Rodd for the first time, My Lucky Strike, who was somewhat backed down to $9 despite the lacklustre form behind him, was able to slot into a nice trailing position from his barrier No 2 as Mycaptainoblivious (Syafiq Hazman) set the pace upfront at a steady tempo.
The runs did not, however, appear as My Lucky Strike was angled out upon straightening, prompting Rodd to head back to the inside. The last 300m turned into a captivating two-horse race between Mycaptainoblivious and My Lucky Strike, who was closer to the rails, with the latter stretching a shade better in the last 50m to gain the advantage by half-a-length.
Former Malaysian-based galloper Dragonhead (Mohd Zaki) ran a stunner second-up to finish third another 1 ¾ lengths away. The winning time was 59.48 seconds for the 1000m on the Polytrack.
Brown was obviously delighted with that flying start, but deflected any perception he had pulled any rabbit out of the hat. To the Australian handler, it was probably down to that often-rehashed cliché that form is temporary but class is permanent.
“The horse came to us in great order. He really looked lovely,” said Brown who was at his sole runner for the night after Tales Of Summer was scratched in Race 8.
“I think it was just a change of environment. I really have done nothing day-to-day that was really different.
“Just a new feed and a new regimen, but that’s it. It was a very nice win and he will go for the EW Barker now.”
The Group 2 EW Barker Trophy is a handicap race over 1400m that will be run in three weeks’ time on November 18.
Rodd even said My Lucky Strike did not give him a very good vibe when he first sat on him in trackwork, but a Wednesday gallop changed his mind.
“He was outstanding tonight, but he never game me that feeling when I had him in the same spot on the rails in a trial. He was flopping around,” said the Australian jockey who rides likely favourite Debt Collector for Brown in the Group 1 Raffles Cup (1800m) on Sunday.
“But on Wednesday, I was like ‘hang on’ there was a bit of life in the old horse. Tonight, when I pulled the whip, he really showed he wanted to win, he’s such a winner.
“It’s great that he has recaptured his old form.”
Last-start winner and second favourite Olympic Anthem – whom Rodd incidentally dropped to ride My Lucky Strike as a mark of loyalty to Brown – loomed up on the outside in the home straight but could not finish it off and was unfortunately found to have bled.
It is not the first time the Starcraft six-year-old succumbs to such a setback. After a winning debut, he bled at his second start and was sidelined for three months.
My Lucky Strike has now taken his handy record to nine wins and seven placings from 22 starts for prizemoney in excess of $435,000 for the Lucky Stable, who was at a double for the night as they also scored with the Mohd Yusof-trained Constant Justice two races earlier.