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Argentinian-bred mare Fortune Winner is in flying form at the moment and trainer Leticia Dragon is hoping she can still catch the wave at the right time in this Sunday’s $200,000 Group 3 Fortune Bowl (1600m).
The traditional Chinese New Year feature has long been on the radar for the handy five-year-old even if she has been clubbing her rivals over sprint races of late, but Dragon said the drop from 2000m to 1600m this year was not really a swinging factor.
Once described as a staying mare when she was four, with even the Singapore Derby locked in as a target, Fortune Winner has recently been racing in sprints with happier results.
Her last staying race came in a BM67 event over 1800m (fifth to Street Taipan) back in May. Prior to that race, she boasted two wins over 1600m in Class 4 company, both recorded with her trademark searching runs from the rear – and one stunning win over 1200m (three weeks off an 1800m race), the first to go against the grain.
Fortune Winner’s last three wins have been recorded between 1200m and 1400m with the last two coming over 1200m in Class 3 company.
Her berth in the Fortune Bowl may come across as an unorthodox trend-bucking return to basics, but Dragon said the chop and change in her trips did not worry her. She was just impressed by her recent stellar form, but is keeping her fingers crossed it will hold sway until Sunday.
“She’s a versatile mare. She seemed to be able to take shorter distances after we freshened her up,” said Dragon.
“She can also handle both Polytrack and turf, but I was never worried she could not go back over more ground. The Fortune Bowl was something that had been planned for her, but she had to be going well.
“She showed it at her last two wins when she really annihilated the rivals. But that’s the thing about her; she can also get destroyed the same way.”
Dragon is aware Fortune Winner is not impervious to the odd howler, which she put down to a “season reason”.
Not the one to do with the upcoming festive season. Kranji’s only female trainer was referring to another season – the one entires, rigs and geldings don’t get.
“I remember she put in a bad race back in July 2015. We found out she was in season,” said Dragon in reference to a Class 4 race over 1800m when ridden by her then winning partner, Italian jockey Mario Esposito.
“Mares can do that. We can check their progesterone level if we want.
“In saying that, she is the type of horse who holds her form for a couple of months. Right now is a good window period.
“She did run in a Group race before (Group 2 EW Barker Trophy over 1400m last November) but she was not at her peak then.
“The field in the Fortune Bowl is not the strongest and she’s also getting in at a light weight.”
With a postage-stamp load of 50.5kgs allotted to Fortune Winner, regular partner Mark Ewe (winning partner at four of her six wins) could not make the weight. It’s veteran Malaysian jockey Azhar Ismail – this year’s winning rider of the only other Group race run thus far, the Group 3 New Year Cup (Guru-Guru) who jumps aboard.
“Unfortunately, Mark cannot ride at 50.5kgs. Azhar knows her and finished second on her once,” said Dragon.
“She’s the bottom weight and is fit and well. We can only hope for a bit of luck on the day.”