2 days ago
Choi's Platinum Boss is all set to turn to gold
With 12 races beckoning on June 22, racegoers would like nothing better than to get off to a flying start.
Rhett Butler in Race 1 and Tangesh in Race 2 could be worth some thought early in the day, split between the two Class 5 divisions over 1,150m.
Both gallopers tossed in decent training gallops on the morning of June 18.
The Nick Selvan-trained Rhett Butler loosened up with a spot of cantering before turning on the after-burners to run the final 600m in 39sec.
The three-time winner is plying his trade in lowly Class 5B, but his win over the Ipoh 1,400m on May 11 was noteworthy.
He came from third at the 400m mark to win despite drifting out over the concluding stages.
While the 1,150m does appear to be on the short side for the Charm Spirit four-year-old, he is not out of it.
At his debut on April 29, 2023 when he was under the care of Donna Logan at Kranji, he blitzed his rivals in a race over the 1,100m.
Rhett Butler can sprint. Come June 22, he could make the board - at a price.
Still wary because it is a tricky Class 5 race? Well, just remember what his namesake said in the movie, Gone With The Wind. "With enough courage, you can do without a reputation."
As for Tangesh, he settled for some serious cantering and should be good to go in the Class 5A event.
The Deep Field six-year-old's last-start second to Joyee Go on May 25 was sound but he was still beaten by four lengths.
It was the second time in his last three outings that the Charles Leck-trained three-time winner had to play second fiddle, having found one to beat in Loving Babe in a race on April 20.
Tangesh deserves a winning break and the thing going for him is the fact that he knows what it is like to win a race, and his form figures look good. Going back to March 16 they read: 1-2-4-2.
To help him along, Tangesh will get the riding services of leading jockey Andre da Silva, which is a big plus.
But perhaps the one with the best shot at getting a win on June 22 is Platinum Boss.
Entered in Race 6, a Class 3 (1,400m), the son of Rageese was in a galloping mood when sent out for his work on June 18.
One of a handful to go fast on the day, he clocked 37.5sec for the 600m.
From a small team of five for the upcoming meeting, Platinum Boss could be the ace in trainer Ricky Choi's poker hand.
Owned by the Platinum Racing Stable, Platinum Boss has yet to open his Malaysian account in three starts, but he does know a thing or two about winning races.
Until being flown out to join Choi's stables at Sungai Besi, Platinum Boss was quite a hit in Macau where he won four races, all over 1,200m.
Now a six-year-old, he will be having his fourth Malaysian outing on June 22 and it comes in the wake of his last-start third to Sacred Buddy in the Penang Turf Club Memorial Trophy (1,100m) on May 31.
Given the fact that this New Zealand-bred knows how to win, his breakthrough performance on Malaysian turf could come sooner rather than later.
Then, and again from the training track, there was Elliot Ness.
Another one from Selvan's yard, he had a breezy workout, cantering to loosen up before running the 600m in 39sec.
The Written Tycoon seven-year-old's Malaysian campaign has so far been rather lukewarm.
But he is hardly what one would call a washout.
Until being sent over when racing folded in Singapore last Oct 5, Elliot Ness won four races over the sharp sprints.
Until just a race ago on May 25, he had been taking on Class 3 opposition.
Down in grade, he will get his chance in the Class 4A race (1,200m) slated as Race 8 on June 22. But he will have to jump from an outside gate (15) which will surely test him.
Still, he deserves a second look and, maybe, a vote of confidence.
brian@
