Trainer Alwin Tan saddled the quinella in Friday’s $100,000 Open Benchmark 83 race over 1700m, but not quite in the order he was expecting.

 

Robin Hood ($27) and Casing Royal ($16) finished a close 1-2 in the field whittled down to only five runners following the withdrawal of three runners (Zeus, Billy Britain and Golden Diamond), to keep the momentum to Tan’s flying start to the 2017 season on the up.

 

The champion trainer did admit he was expecting the reversed order, but as the saying goes in racing, winners are grinners, and he for one would not sneeze at any additional stick to his tally.


Robin Hood (Olivier Placais) comes home the best to down Casing Royal (Alan Munro, obscured).
 

“I was more confident with Casing Royal to be honest, I thought he had a better chance. Robin Hood was at his first time running in Benchmark 83 company,” said Tan.

 

“But racing is unpredictable at times. Olivier gave Robin Hood a perfect ride and I would say he made the difference again with his very aggressive riding style.”

 

Wielding the whip in his usual high-handed manner, The Conductor, as he is known, was giving yet another recital when he set Robin Hood alight upon straightening, but he himself later let in that he thought he would not be able to double up after they combined at a last-start win in a Kranji Stakes C race over 1600m a month ago.

 

“His work at home had been less good than at his last win. I really thought he was not 100% tonight,” said Placais.

 

“And when he got pushed out three wide when the favourite (Castor) came out at the 600m, I thought it would be even tougher.

 

“But in hindsight, I think that move from Castor got him to raise his game. It sparked him up and he gave a very nice kick in the end.”

 

Casing Royal (Alan Munro) looked to have the wood at the 250m but his stable companion finished a touch better to outstrip him by a neck on the line. The Ricardo Le Grange-trained Terms Of Reference (Barend Vorster) temporarily hit the front, too, but weakened late to run third another 1 ¼ lengths away. The winning time was 1min 48.86secs for the 1700m on the Polytrack.

 

With that fifth win from 17 starts that also yielded three placings, Robin Hood, a five-year-old by Nom Du Jeu has now taken his stakes earnings over the $200,000 mark for the Eight Eight One Stable.

As for Castor, who finished last, apprentice jockey Troy See said he had to extricate himself early to avoid getting boxed in, but when he squeezed him at the top of the straight, there was nothing in the tank.