He could Surpass expectations
Jerome Tan's galloper turns in a good workout on training track
Unlucky for some, start No. 13 proved the opposite for Surpass Natural as it erased a six-month bleak spell and gave him his seventh race win.
Until that victory, Surpass Natural's connections endured the disappointment of seeing their horse finish a smack-up third in the Merlion Trophy, a fourth-place finish in a $100,000 sprint and a mediocre effort in the Lion City Cup.
So it was, they would have let out a huge cheer when Surpass Natural whipped them all in the Happy New Year Kranji Stakes "A" race on Jan 3.
It was a deserving win and one for the scrapbook.
Surpass Natural gets pride of place and is topweight in Saturday's best event on the 10-race card and he just might add another win to his resume.
Formerly with Leticia Dragon - who prepared him for six wins - and now with Jerome Tan, he went into many notebooks as a horse to follow when he turned in an impressive workout on the training track yesterday morning.
Ridden by S John, Surpass Natural went like a winner, clocking 37.7sec for the 600m. It was an inspiring piece of work from the five-year-old, whose earnings from 13 starts have surpassed the $300,000 mark.
Surpass Natural looks the type who can improve even further. However, he's been asked to carry 58kg which means he'll be giving some handy kilograms to his rivals on Saturday.
And, it's a mighty competent field which includes the likes of Fame Star, Grand Koonta and Nowyousee.
But, in the past, Surpass Natural has carried big weights - 59kg and 58.5kg - and won races. He might just defy topweight and do a race-to-race double. It'll be tough but it's not beyond his capabilities.
Also impressive on the training track was Luck Of Master. Noh Senari did the steering when he breezed over the 600m in a fast 35.5sec.
A four-time winner from 15 starts, Luck Of Master has been a good horse for trainer Desmond Koh. Last time out, which was some 11 days ago, Luck Of Master ran a decent race, finishing fifth - some three lengths behind the winner Vittoria Perfetta.
Koh has found a winnable sort of race for this chestnut gelding, who has won over Saturday's race distance of 1,800m.
That was four starts back in October and, on the day, he came from near last at the 250m mark to put his rivals to the sword.
Like Surpass Natural, Luck Of Master must also defy topweight to put another win on the board. Aside from the 59kg that he must carry, there's nothing else to suggest he cannot win.
The same could be said of Lucky Imperator, who will see action in the Class 4 Division 1 sprint over the 1,400m.
From Lee Freedman's yard, he had Rosman Iskandar in the saddle when working over the 600m in 37.2sec.
Owned by the Lucky Unicorn Stable, Lucky Imperator was a winner over the 1,400m on Nov 15 and, following that, he ran second to Whistle Grand over the same trip.
Saturday's assignment will be his first for the 2021 season and, on the back of yesterday's work, he should turn in a good show.
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