Champion trainer Alwin Tan summed Nova Swiss up as “classy” after the bold three-year-old brought his umblemished record to five wins from as many starts on Sunday.

 

“I have only one word to describe him: Classy,” said Tan.

 

“He’s won five from five now. Only classy horses do that.

 

“I have no doubt in my mind he has a brilliant future here at Kranji. But he needs to prove himself in better races from now on.”

Nova Swiss (Manoel Nunes) scores with authority for the fifth time in a row.

 

Tan has pencilled in the Group 2 Merlion Trophy (1200m) on March 5 as the race that would definitely cement that “classy” status further.

 

“I will run him in the Merlion Trophy. I think it’s the ideal first test in a Group race for him,” he said.

 

“Then of course, there is the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge to look at. I think he’s looking for more ground, but he has not raced on turf yet and that is still a question mark.”

 

The Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge is made up of three Legs run over 1200m, 1400m and 1600m, but all run on turf, which Nova Swiss has yet to step over.

 

Manoel Nunes, who has been aboard at all five wins, also waxed lyrical about the son of Swiss Ace when he dismounted, but said he had to keep an eye on Speedy Dragon (Salim Yusoff) in the home straight, to prevent any last-minute surprise.

 

After again electing for his customary racing pattern of tracking up the leaders before sweeping past them at the top of the straight, Nova Swiss had to work a little harder for his win this time.

 

The race did look all stitched up when the Nova Racing Stable-owned gelding easily put race-leader Sebas (Gerald Mosse) astern, but the resuming Speedy Dragon was not going to let the odds-on ($7) hotpot get away so easily.

 

With the rest all gasping for breath, Speedy Dragon was the only one still within sniffing distance of Nova Swiss, and who could obviously upstage him.

 

Nunes even glanced twice on his nearside when he realised the close proximity of the Polytrack expert, just when he thought they had all been put in the shade, but Nova Swiss did not let up and held Speedy Dragon at bay by 1 ¼ lengths.

 

The General (Nooresh Juglall) also loomed as a threat when he cornered, but just could not match Nova Swiss’s superior turn of foot to run third another 2 ¼ lengths away. The winning time was a slick 58.71 seconds for the 1000m scamper.

 

“He’s a lovely horse and is a good Polytrack performer. Today, he was travelling beautifully and he was too good for them,” said the three-time Singapore champion jockey.

 

“I was just a bit surprised when I saw Speedy Dragon was right on my inside in the straight. He’s a very good Polytrack horse and I just wanted to make sure he did not sneak up on us.

 

“My horse was just too good. I think he is a horse who is getting stronger and stronger.”

 

With that fifth win, Nova Swiss has now taken his earnings past the $210,000 mark for his owners.