Promising US-bred Wooden Heart may well give more wings to trainer Michael Clements’ flying start this Sunday.
A hat-trick of wins from Only Win, Justice Day and Scorpio on New Year’s Day has set the tone for a season which may well pick up where he left off last year.
Not only did the 2017 season see Clements achieve his best finish since moving from Zimbabwe to Singapore in 1998 – sixth on 52 wins, but he also hauled up a personal best record of five Group wins, including his first Group 1 success in the Patron’s Bowl with Alibi.
Wooden Heart (Manoel Nunes) races away to an impressive debut win in November, picture Singapore Turf Club
The soft-spoken handler is not jumping the gun, though. With 88 more race meetings to go through, he would rather take one meeting at a time, starting with the second rendezvous on Sunday when he saddles a small team of only two runners – Wooden Heart and Knight Chen Bay.
Debut winner Wooden Heart runs in the $85,000 Novice race over 1200m while Class 4 dweller Knight Chen Bay will try and improve on his current stats (two wins and two placings from 16 starts) in the $60,000 Class 4 Premier Division 2 race over 1400m.
“Every year, I put out a lot of horses in December, and after the break, we are light on horses,” said Clements.
“I had quite a big team going around on Monday, and I’ve got only two runners this week. The numbers should go up towards the end of January.
“It’s a small team, but I’m actually very happy with both.”
Though the boom is obviously on Wooden Heart, Clements would not split his duo, condition-wise.
“Wooden Heart has done well since his win. He is a big powerful horse and he’s the type of horse who will keep on improving,” said Clements.
“I feel he’s done just that throughout his prep and hopefully, he keeps turning up and improving.
“Knight Chen Bay (x Hinchinbrook) is the type of horse who can do well if he’s in the right place in the handicap.
“He’s never run a terrible race, he was often unlucky, trapped out wide, etc. He’s pretty fit, and is actually in a better shape than he has ever been.
“He’s not in a particularly strong race. He needs everything to go his way, and if that’s the case, he can run a good race.”
From the pole position and with only 51kgs on his back (Barend Vorster takes the ride), Wooden Heart certainly has a few more ticks in his boxes.
Clements believes the Thai-owned three-year-old colt by The Factor has trained on since his first run, going with all the signs he has shown on the training tracks.
“I think he has shown some improvement in his gallops during the break,” he said.
“He trialled very well the other day (won on December 28) even if it was a cruising trial where he was not asked to do too much, but he obviously needs more racing at this stage.
“I’m really happy with the way he has come along. He has drawn a good barrier (one) and he is a big chance this Sunday.”
Clements, who clinched two of the three races of the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge with Countofmontecristo (Classic and Singapore Guineas) last year, has earmarked Wooden Heart as his flagbearer at this year’s renewal of the series, but whether he can scale the same heights remains to be seen.
“At this stage, all going well, Wooden Heart will be my runner in the three-year-old series,” he said.
“I have other unraced three-year-olds coming through, but I will have to assess them before confirming who else may join Wooden Heart. I do hope there will be a few more options.”
Speaking of Countofmontecristo, the hot favourite to win the Champion Three-Year-Old prize at the Singapore Racing Awards on Monday, Clements was bristling with a bit of excitement at his upcoming four-year-old campaign.
“Countofmontecristo is coming along well. He has been in work for three weeks,” said Clements.
“He’s reached a good fitness level, is bright in himself and is doing fine. He will probably have his first barrier trial in February and will be first-up in the Rocket Man Sprint.”
For the first time this year, the Group 3 JBBA Rocket Man Sprint (1200m) is slated as the first Leg of the Singapore Sprint Series (used to be the Group 2 Merlion Trophy) and will be run on April 1.
The son of Echoes Of Heaven has not been seen since his unplaced run in the Group 1 Raffles Cup (1800m) in October, when ridden by Manoel Nunes.
With the Brazilian three-time Singapore champion jockey not riding in Kranji anymore, Clements had to go looking for a new rider for Joe Singh’s star.
“Michael Rodd is someone we have in mind to ride him this prep, we’ll see,” he said.
