Leading four-year-old hope Tannhauser will have a new partner in the $500,000 Group 2 Stewards’ Cup (1400m) on June 10 – Daniel Moor.
Regular partner Vlad Duric, who has teamed up with the talented Michael Clements-trained son of Tavistock at all his nine starts for five wins, is instead riding Elite Invincible for Mark Walker in the first Leg of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge.
The 2017 Singapore champion jockey does know Walker’s Irish-bred as well, as he rode him to two of his three wins.
Daniel Moor gets a leg-up on Tannhauser at the barrier trials on Thursday, picture Singapore Turf Club
The first inkling of the bookings for the two Australian jockeys surfaced at Thursday’s barrier trials where Duric was seen aboard Elite Invincible while the newly-licensed Moor was on Tannhauser in the same jumpout.
With the sizzling pace ensured by the two Shane Baertschiger speedsters Lincoln Road (Matthew Kellady) and Speedy Dragon (John Powell), Tannhauser dropped back in fourth spot on the rails for Moor, staying there to the line, about six lengths off the winner Lincoln Road.
Clements had his second Stewards’ Cup contender Only Win (Alan Munro) also picking that same barrier trial for a last blowout before the big race. A noted backmarker, the US-bred by Tribal Rule was also outpaced early before making some ground late to finish sixth another gap of 5 ½ lengths behind stablemate Tannhauser.
Tannhauser and Only Win last ran in the same contest, a Class 2 race over 1200m on May 6 won by Rafaello. They ran on for third and fourth respectively, both looking like they could use another furlong, an impression which was even more significant for Tannhauser given he has never ventured beyond 1200m.
“Both ran very well in that race. They went too fast early and they had to get back,” said Clements.
“Today’s trial was a bit similar. There was a lot of speed and they both got back early.
“Tannhauser was relaxed and ran on nicely. Alan did get caught behind on Only Win, but they did run on nicely in the end. It was a good training trial for both of them.
“The 1400m is not an issue for Only Win, whereas for Tannhauser, Vlad’s always told me 1400m should be ideal for him.
“He’s been outpaced lately and now that he’s more relaxed, all indications show that the 1400m will suit him. It’s just that we never had the opportunity to get him to that trip.”
The duo will actually be joined by another one of Clements’ stable stars in the Stewards’ Cup, Countofmontecristo. The former Singapore Three-Year-Old champion ran third in the Group 1 Lion City Cup (1200m) as part of his prep to take in the Singapore Sprint Series before beginning his 4YO campaign.
With Countofmontecristo running second in the first two Legs of the Sprint series (JBBA Rocket Man Sprint and Merlion Trophy), Clements would have of course preferred at least one win, but was still proud of the Echoes Of Heaven four-year-old’s overall performance.
“He had every chance in the Lion City Cup. He ran well but there were a couple better than him (Lim’s Cruiser and Zac Kasa),” he said.
“It was always the plan to then set him for the Stewards’ Cup, and we will then see how he goes, race by race.”
The second Leg of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge is the Group 1 Patron’s Bowl (1600m) on June 24 and the third and final Leg is the Group 1 Emirates Singapore Derby (1800m) on July 15.
Last year, Clements won the first two Legs with Alibi, but the son of Darci Brahma has not quite lived up to expectations this year. He also went through the Sprint series like Countofmontecristo, with his first two runs quite encouraging, but Clements qualified his Lion City Cup run as a “disaster”.
“He was caught too wide in the Lion City Cup. There was nothing left in the straight,” he said.
“In hindsight, he should have got back, but things didn’t go his way. That happens in racing at times.
“But he’s pulled up good just like Countofmontecristo, and he’ll race again in that Kranji Stakes A race over 1200m on Stewards’ Cup day.”
