3 minute read
A pep talk between brothers seems to have brought out those winning family genes in Our Showcase on Sunday.
The Showcasing four-year-old’s half-brother Supernova (both out of Carnegie mare Our Girl Nelson) won at the ripe old age of 10 on Friday night, registering his 11th win from 78 starts.
Both are prepared by Kiwi trainer Bruce Marsh, who said he took Our Showcase , who had till then yet to break his duck in 12 starts, to Supernova’s box on Sunday morning to hopefully draw some inspiration from his much more prolific older brother.
Whether the family connection stirred something up in Our Showcase, Marsh will never know, but it wouldn’t really matter – the end result showed Our Showcase (Zyrul Nor Azman, $53) first, ahead of favourite My Fat Kiddy (Ben Thompson) who flew home late to just come up short by half-a-length.
Invictus Warrior (Matthew Kellady) tried to make all, but still worked home well for third another half-length away. The winning time was 1min 23.37secs for the 1400m on the Short Course.
“The boys had a good talk this morning. It seems to have worked,” said Marsh.
“He was an outlaw in New Zealand. He had the blinkers on in New Zealand, but they didn’t seem to work here.
“We’ve taken them off at his last couple of runs, and he ran a lot better, except that he came back lame at his last run.
“It’s also great to have Laurie Laxon with me this morning. He brought us luck.”
The former nine-time Singapore champion trainer was in town on holiday and was his usual good-spirited self at the winner’s stall.
Zyrul, who was aboard Supernova as well on Friday, was another one with a beaming smile at the lead-in.
“He’s a half-brother to Supernova, and they had a good talk before the races,” said the in-form Singaporean apprentice jockey who was at his fourth May winner to sit in sixth spot on six winners on the log.
“He’s still a little green, he was switching legs down the back.
“The problem with this horse is he is too intelligent for his own good and that’s why he had not won a race yet.
“We took the blinkers off and it basically told him to go forward and do what he had to do, and he’s responded in the best possible way today.”
Thanks to three seconds and one third picked up earlier in his career, Our Showcase has now amassed close to $60,000 in prizemoney for Mr Cheah Kim Teck.