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Trainer Patrick Shaw was in fine form on Friday night after he saddled a winning double with Vertical Start and Mighty Emperor.
On both occasions, the winner turned out to be Shaw’s less fancied representative, but the South African was certainly not fussed over who was keeping the home fires burning.
In the $60,000 Class 4 Division 2 race over 1200m, Palladio (Nooresh Juglall, $26) had more admirers than Vertical Start (Barend Vorster, $33), even after his disappointing second-up outing, but it was Vertical Start who finished the best to score by two lengths from Stirling (Vlad Duric) with debutant Peach Bowl (A’Isisuhairi Kasim) third another nose away, while Palladio again let down his partisans when he punctured after leading to beat one home.
Mighty Emperor was in the same boat in the next event, the $60,000 Class 4 race over 1800m, mildly supported even after his convincing last-start win with Mohd Firdaus, who was back aboard, but the boom was on his stablemate Big Brother (Juglall) who was backed down to $17 favouritism, while his third runner Super Joe (Vorster) also had some admirers.
Big Brother did shape up as a fleeting chance at the top of the straight when he was the first to pounce on the weakening leader Greenstone (Olivier Placais), but he stalled a few strides further. Mighty Emperor had in the meantime weaved his way through the pack and popped up at the right time to ping away with the superior finish, going on to score with one length to spare from Billy Britain (Duric).
Big Brother ran third another neck away but it was later revealed that he had been galloped on and came back with lacerations on his near hind.
That was the only blemish to an otherwise good night for Shaw, who just came back from his French holidays on the Cote d’Azur.
“Mighty Emperor has really turned the corner since I’ve changed his work. I have put a lot more speed in his work and it’s done the trick,” said Shaw.
“He was more one-paced before but you can tell he can quicken up good in the straight now, and he’s now won three in a row.
“Big Brother travelled up a winner but we found later on he had cuts on his hind. Super Joe was also in the hunt and ran well.
“As for Vertical Start, he is honest in this grade and it was good to win another race for my good friend Bernard Kantor.”
Firdaus jumped off saying that there was not much pace in the race, but Mighty Emperor, a South African-bred five-year-old by Kahal, still produced the goods when called upon.
“There was no pace in the race. I didn’t want to go too soon, but luckily, I was able to find a gap through the field and he was too good in the end,” said the Malaysian apprentice jockey.
Mighty Emperor was recording his fifth win for the Avengers Stable and has now amassed a handy sum of around $160,000 in prizemoney.
