Photo: Singapore Turf Club
While owner Jayven See is at the Gold Coast, wife Kathy is enjoying the spotlight of leading in another winner, Field Marshal (NZ) (Sweet Orange) in the last race in Singapore, the S$50,000 Class 4 Division 2 race over 1200m on Friday night.
See, the principal owner of the Middle Kingdom Stable, is in Australia, but had his eyes peeled in front of his TV to watch his undefeated three-year-old son of Sweet Orange attempt to maintain his invincibility.
That he did, but in a hair-raising fashion that would have had his Singaporean owner chewing on his fingernails, especially inside the last furlong.
As predicted by most pundits, Field Marshal’s biggest foe was Siam Royal Orchid (Shamus Award), and the four-year-old certainly lived up to the tag by giving the $12 favourite and his supporters a mighty fright when he took the first run on Field Marshal, who was a couple of lengths astern right through the race.
It was a regal spectacle to behold as the talented duo locked horns from the 300m mark to the post.
Ben Thompson aboard Field Marshal and Joseph Azzopardi, Kranji’s two Australian whiz kids, slugged it out for a battle royale in which Field Marshal came out victorious by only a short head.
The winning time was 1min 11.17secs for the six furlongs on the Polytrack.
“Well done to (trainer) Ricardo (Le Grange) for a great training feat – it’s never easy to get a three-from-three nowadays – and Benny Thompson for a great ride!” Jayven See said.
Thompson, who partnered Field Marshal for the first time at his second win, lavished praise on the light-framed chestnut.
“We settled further back (eighth) than we would have liked. The speed was good and I was glad I was able to follow the horse to beat, Siam Blue Orchid, and keep him in my sights the whole way,” Thompson said.
“It was a great duel, and you couldn’t possibly know which way it would go as Siam Blue Orchid is also a lovely horse and he ran on well. He didn’t do anything wrong, but my horse was just too good on the day.
“I have a lot of respect for the way Field Marshal has come up against older horses tonight. I was quite confident he could hold a margin on them, though.”
Le Grange has targeted Field Marshal at the Saas Fee Stakes (1200m), which will be for the first time be run as a three-year-old race, on November 10.
Field Marshal was purchased out of Regal Farm’s 2018 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale for $60,000 Bemish Bloodstock and Ultima. - Singapore Turf Club
