2 Jun 2007
Champion trainer Laurie Laxon once again stamped his mark as a big race specialist when he saddled My Royal Captain to win the first leg of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge, the $500,000 Group 1 Patrons’ Bowl (1400m) at Kranji racecourse on Friday.
A determined Callow (My Royal Captain) fights off Barend Vorster (Echague #10)
The coveted trophy looked well and truly in the grasp of rival trainer Patrick Shaw when Echague (Barend Vorster) made a determined bid right on the outside. My Royal Captain, who seemed to have been left flat-footed when Echague sprinted away, started to rev up at the right time under jockey Noel Callow’s vigorous riding.
Little by little, the deficit seemed to erode away, but the winning post was looming up fast. Many thought it was too little too late, as even Callow seemed uncertain if his horse had manage to cross the line first, but the photo showed the brave Dragon Stable-owned galloper had prevailed by a head.
My Royal Captain, who is certainly no duffer in the wet, has won all his previous races in going not better than yielding. After a creditable stint in Dubai and a promising campaign on local soil, the four-year-old son of Zabeel has finally notched up his first big race - and a Group 1 to top it off.
"We were a bit worried before because the track has been playing a bit rough tonight," said Laxon.
"In the end though he did handle it.
"In the run Crusoe was tracking My Royal Captain and I thought it would be the other way around, but they did go pretty hard early."
As for Laxon’s SIA Cup runner Crusoe, the track played against him.
"He just didn’t handle it. He was alongside the winner in the straight and he couldn’t kick at all."