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The return to racing of Antipodean and Witnessimpact
The Malaysian debut of Kranji heavyweights Super Salute and Big Hearted, exciting Macau import Revue going for a hattrick plus an array of other well-performed horses in the line-up make the Supreme A 1200m sprint at the Selangor Turf this Sunday the most intriguing top-level race at the Selangor Turf Club in a long while.
We are just into the second week racing in 2025, and the launch of the club's Racing Enhancement Fund (REF) in the new season has already started to bring the desired effect.
Antipodean was undoubtedly the star of the local turf last year, winning nine times in 10 starts and finishing second in the other. The Derryn four-year-old has not raced since taking out the Sports Toto Supreme Challenge last Oct 13.
Antipodean, along with the 2023 Selangor Gold Cup winner Pasir Pinji, have switched trainer in the past month and is now under the care of Tiang Kim Choi.
Pasir Pinji will be having his first run for more than four months, so he is fresh. The 1200m trip might be a trifle too short for him but if there is genuine pace early on, who knows what might happen.
Despite the depature of Antipodean and Pasir Pinji from his yards, trainer Simon Dunderdale will have the very exciting Witnessimpact in the race on Sunday.
A maiden in Australia, the Star Witness gelding took the local scene by storm, winning his first four starts in the country before finishing third in a Metro A race last Oct 26.
Witnessimpact won his trial last week, signalling that he is in pink health despite break of more than two months. He will be meeting Antipodean for the first time.
Super Salute is the highest rated horse (104) to transfer to Malaysia in the past year. The I Am Invincible gelding in fact crossed the causeway last August, before the closure of racing in Singapore.
The Australian gelding was one of the best four-year-olds at Kranji in 2023. He won the EW Barker Trophy (1400m) and Silver Bowl (1400m) before finishing second in the Stewards' Cup (1600m) and third in the Singapore Derby (1800m).
Super Salute captured the New Year Cup to start off 2024 and went on to finish third in the Fortune Bowl (1400m). After two subsequent runs, he was sent over to trainer V Sivan who has given the six-year-old a searching preparation for his local debut.
Sunday's 1200m might not be his ideal distance but he is on fresh legs too.
Sivan also has former Singapore Class 1 winner King Arthur in the mix. Also by I Am Invincible, the Australian gelding won nine races at Kranji and was second to Lim's Kosciuszko in the 2022 Lion City Cup and again second to same horse in the 2023 Merlion Trophy, both over 1200m.
King Arthur already has already one run under his belt last month.
Also making his Malaysian debut in the race is the 2020 Singapore Gold Cup winner Big Hearted.
The Hallowed Crown gelding was also placed in several group races at Kranji, among them a second in the 2021 Singapore Derby won by Hard Too Think. He crossed the causeway to join trainer Frank Maynard after running in the Singapore Gold Cup on Oct 5.
Big Hearted, now eight years old, has gone through two trials and trust Maynard to resurrect his career as the Australian did with Cheval Blanc.
Revue is taking a big step up in class after winning his first two starts but write him off at your peril. The Delago Deluxe gelding revelled on a wet track to win by 8-1/4 lengths in his debut, surprising even his trainer Ricky Choi who has another runner in Who Love To Dance (the second emergency acceptor).
The third Macau import in the race, Snow Storm, created a good impression when he finished fourth to Arigato in the Sungai Besi Autoworld Cup (1200m) three weeks ago. Like Big Hearted, he is trained by Maynard.
And for the first time ever, Chinese jockey will be competing in the local circuit.
Liang Xiao Chuan rode horses in Guangxi from a young age before riding races at Guangdong and Beijing before he was granted an apprentice jockey's licence by the Macau Jockey Club.
Liang rode with distinction at the Taipa racecourse for three seasons, finishing fifth in the table (24 winners) in 2021/22, eighth (15 winners) in 2022/23 and fourth (17 winners) in 2023/24 before the closure of racing at the former Portuguese enclave.
Liang will renew partnership with Orential Halflamma and the gelding's trainer Ricky Choi in the Class 5A – 1300m handicap on Sunday. He rode the son of Super One in his final outing in Macau last March 30, finishing fifth.
Oriental Halflamma, who had five wins at 1050m and 1350m on the sand in Macau, has raced three times in Malaysia, finding one to beat twice, both times to Big Bad Mama. So a debut win might be on the card for the Chinese jockey.
Liang might have another ride on the Tiang Kim Choi-Emperor Taizong, who is an emergency acceptor.
