Saturday, July 12, 2008
A clever ride by Ng Kok Keong saw a betting plunge landed when the Stephen Burridge-trained World Strongman took out the $55,000 Class 4 Stakes (second division) over 1400m on Saturday.
Another inspiring ride by Benny Woodworth one race later enabled Burridge to pick up a running double with expensive import Sagittarius.
The Australian-bred World Strongman was punted down from as much as $70 to go around as a $29 chance.
After being a little slow to jump, KK Ng didn’t panic aboard World Strongman and had the gelding back in the second half of the field.
The pace had been set-up by Happy Everybody (Danny Beasley) and Inzaghi (John Powell) over Ace Ambassador (Din Azis) and Mighty Lad (Robbie Fradd).
World Strongman (Ng Kok Keong) gets up on the rails to take out Race 7.
It was a similar story as the field made their way to the hometurn before Powell kicked Inzaghi to the lead.
All the while KK Ng was weaving his way through the field before switching back to the fence over the last 200m where he had clear running.
At the finish the gelding raced away to score by one-and-a-half lengths over Inzaghi with Rising Spirit (Eric Legrix) the same distance away third.
Burridge said the KK Ng’s ride was the difference between winning and losing.
“It was a brilliant ride,” said Burridge. “He weaved his way through the field and was strong to the line.”
Burridge said World Strongman is a day-to-day proposition because of “feet issues” that have plagued the gelding throughout his career.
“I had to take him out this morning and do some pacework,” said Burridge. “If he in any way felt sore I would have pulled him out.
“If I can get his feet right I think he has a future.”
Burridge said his son Wade picked out World Strongman as a two-year-old in Australia and secured the gelding for $42,000.
World Strongman is a son of Newtown Jet from the El Moxie mare Desordette. Saturday’s victory was his second from just six race starts and has taken his prizemoney to around the $80,000 mark for the Top Champ Stable.
Burridge was quickly back in the winner's enclosure in the next race when Sagittarius, who cost a reported $750,000 to the Starcap No 3 Stable, scored back-to-back wins in the $125,000 Open Class race (1600m).
Sagittarius (Benny Woodworth) makes it back-to-back wins on Saturday. Mr Line (Robbie Fradd) is second while favourite Lim's Oasis (Mark Gallagher) has to settle for third.
"I know he had lost 11kgs since his last win, but he was fit and there were no other 1600m race for him," said Burridge. "He had just lightened up a bit as he is not a good eater.
"I had to test him over 1600m, a distance he ran second in a Group 1 over back in New Zealand."
Ridden by Benny Woodworth, Sagittarius (x O'Reilly) came from midfield to get the better of Mr Line inside the last furlong to score by one length, with odds-on favourite Lim's Oasis (Mark Gallagher) third another one length away.