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Absent for close to three months, Twickenham returned to racing with a smart win in the $100,000 Racing Guide Classic (1400m) on Friday night.
Well ridden by apprentice jockey A’Isisuhairi Kasim, the Artie Schiller four-year-old ($15) bounced back to winning form with a searching run from the 600m that saw him overhaul $61 outsider Gold Run (Ivaldo Santana) to post a solid one-length win.
The two other fancies, short-priced favourite Wonderful Prince ($9) and Thumping ($22) were a shade disappointing, finishing third and fourth respectively, but were probably not suited by the moderate tempo of the race.
A last-start winner, Wonderful Prince (Manoel Nunes) ran one-off the fence in midfield and did take closer order from the top of the straight, but faced a tall order once race-leader Gold Run quickened up. Though a little dour, he still acquitted himself well to run third another 1 ½ lengths away.
Thumping (Alan Munro), who was also victorious at her last race, just did not have the same dash after coming from second-last to settle for fourth half-a-length off Wonderful Prince.
But all honours to Twickenham, reportedly not the easiest horse to train and whose winning feat was a resounding testament to Gray’s brilliance at producing horses first-up.
“He’s a hothead type of a horse and certainly not an easy horse to handle. He got a bit wound up after his last start and had had enough,” said the New Zealander.
“We were a bit disappointed he had lost the plot and decided to give him a spell. He’s done a good job first-up.
“He loves his box, but he’s really improved in the last three weeks. Credit to Andy (Ismail) who rides him all the time. We are very appreciative of Andy’s efforts on this horse.
“Today he was down in the weights and I gave him a chance. Corey Brown, who knows a good horse when he rides one, has ridden him at all his previous runs and has always said he had huge potential.
“I will probably run him in the Four-Year-Old series next year. He’s a stayer in the making, 2000m is his go, and the Singapore Derby would be his race, though I know (owner) Paul (Hickman) would probably like to run him in the Gold Cup.”
The Longines Singapore Gold Cup (2200m) is a handicap Group 1 race which will be run on November 16 while the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge kicks off with the Stewards’ Cup (1400m) sometime in June next year, with the Derby held the following month.
A’Isisuhairi, who rode Twickenham one kilo over at 50kgs, had made that ride his best chance of the night since he got the call-up from Gray.
“When I got a call from Mr Gray, he told me he had a good one for me on Friday, but asked if I could ride at 50kg first,” he recalled.
“I was like yeah sure. It’s a very promising horse and I was not about to let this one go.
“He really knuckled down to the task in the last furlong. Santana’s horse was not giving up, but my horse dug deeper and won a nice race.”
The win also allowed the defending 2013 champion apprentice jockey to draw level with this year’s premiership leader Noh Senari who scored earlier with Flying Zero to maintain the two-win margin status quo at the top (30 versus 28 winners).
Twickenham has now brought his imposing record to four wins from six starts for prizemoney in excess of $180,000 for Hickman’s St George Stable.
