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Class-dropper Thumping showed she had the beating of her Kranji Stakes C (1400m) rivals with a fighting victory in the $80,000 My Royal Captain 2007 Stakes on Sunday.
Ridden by regular partner Alan Munro, the US-bred mare emerged from a packed bunch at the opportune time to score a neck win over a fast-charging Cheetah On Fire (David Flores) with OM (Manoel Nunes) the same margin away in third.
It was the fourth time that Munro had saluted aboard the Any Given Saturday four-year-old from eight starts together, the Group 2 Steward’s Cup outing on June 1 the only time the English hoop has been absent.
Thumping had finished last in that race three weeks ago when squaring off against some talented sorts like Emperor Max, Johnny Guitar and Cavallo and it exposed some of the limitations of his handy galloper, said trainer Hideyuki Takaoka.
“That was probably too tough for her and she lost to better horses,” said the Japanese handler. “I was more confidence of her chances today when she competes at this level and 1400m to 1600m really suits her nicely.”
Unsurprisingly, Thumping was well backed here at $15 and despite a quiet start which saw her hovering in midfield as Euro Zone (John Powell) set the early pace through the first five furlongs, races are rarely won before the home straight.
Indeed it transpired that Thumping was simply playing possum with her rivals and waiting for the gap to appear down the straight before throttling home although she was almost caught out by Cheetah On Fire, who was firing on all cylinders in his pursuit of Thumping.
“It was quite a similar race as the Steward’s Cup when (David) Flores rode him but he was just not good enough that time,” said Takaoka of his Suzuka Racing Stable-owned galloper who clocked a winning time of 1min 23.27secs on the Long Course.
Luck has also played a part in Thumping’s other losses, noted Munro, whose fourth winner inside a week was the surest sign that he has recovered from his six-week slump and moves him into a tie with the three Australian riders, Danny Beasley, Corey Brown and John Powell, all of whom have struck 34 winners this term.
“Historically with this horse I’ve been blocked off quite a few times but today we had some good fortune and I had a clear path down the straight while I was also able to go forward at the right time,” he said.
“It was a good run from this horse and she’s shown she has some talent and has a nice future here.”
This however, may be the last time that racegoers get to see Thumping in action for some time, said Takaoka.
“She has some problems with her front legs and I might need to send her for a spell to recover and rest.”
Having collected four wins and three placings from her nine starts, Thumping has earned around $160,000 in prizemoney for her connections.
