Chavez makes it 3-from-3 at the trials
Panamanian-born rider scores on horses-to-watch Sattar, Saraab and Ettijah
If they were actual races, jockey Oscar Chavez would have added three winners to his season's tally with his three-from-three yesterday morning.
The Panamanian-born jockey, whose licence was not renewed for the new season, scored on all his three rides at the Kranji trials over the Polytrack 1,000m - aboard Sattar, Saraab and Ettijah.
His winning trio won very well and should be closely monitored in their next appearances.
They are all owned by Al-Arabiya Stable and prepared by high-riding first-season trainer Ricardo Le Grange, who also sent out Barnato to take Trial 5 with Nooresh Juglall astride.
Stepping out in Trial No. 2, Sattar sat third but wide behind the leader Vistara, who was hard held by jockey John Powell.
Chavez stepped on the gas in the final 200m and Sattar closed in nicely to beat Vistara by half a length in 1min 00.57sec.
Sattar has been consistent but unlucky so far, picking up three seconds and a third from five starts.
He went off as the favourite in all five starts, four times with single-digit odds. Hence, he has proven costly to punters.
But, on the way he produced at the end of his trial yesterday, it looks like punters will give him one more chance.
It's hard to simply cast aside a horse with such consistency and honesty.
All Sattar needs is a dose of luck and, hopefully, he gets it to reward his old faithfuls.
Chavez also brought Saraab up from a handy position yesterday to nab trainer Shane Baertschiger's pair of Group 2 Aushorse Golden Horseshoe winner Be Bee and front-runner Ladrone right on the line.
The margins were only a neck and a nose between them.
Also a consistent type with two wins, two seconds and a third from seven starts, Saraab clocked 1min 00.12sec.
Then in the last of six trials, Chavez drove Ettijah to an impressive one-and-a-half-length victory in 1min 00.60sec.
Ettijah has run six times at Kranji for two wins and a third.
Chavez's winning trio all clocked fairly good times. The fastest winner was the Alwin Tan-trained Nova Swiss.
The last-start Poly 1,000m course-record breaker was the only winner yesterday to dip below one minute, in 59.74sec.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now