Kranji’s Very big $220 Surprise

Every now and then, horses’ names fit their wins like a glove.

From the 10 winners at the last Kranji meeting on May 4, the one who gets that nod hands down has to be Very Surprise.

Grammar Nazis may nitpick on the missing “d” to Surprise, but connections and the rare lucky punters who backed him would have had little time for nouns and adjectives when the $220 shot upset the applecart in the $30,000 Class 5 Division 2 race (1,600m).

You could hear a pin drop when the previous one-time winner finally revisited the winner’s circle on his 25th Kranji run.

But, ironically, when the Star Witness five-year-old suddenly remembered his way home, he was well on his way to another home – of the stable kind.

“I’ve actually already booked him to go to Malaysia,” said trainer David Kok.

“He needed just two points to qualify. He had to run at least a place today, and he won, which was a big surprise indeed.

“If he had run unplaced again, then no choice, I would have to book another slot.”

With the handicapper deeming his come-from-behind 3/4-length win a five-point hike, the ticket was booked.

True to his name, though, there was a sting to the tale.

Kok said the local owner – who borrows his blue silks – had a change of heart about a horse who had not exactly been a box of chocolates until then.

Not only had he been seeing a lot of rear ends since his last win on March 12, 2023, when trained by Stephen Crutchley, but he also turned rogue two starts back when he refused to gallop on jumping.

“Very Surprise will now stay and race on after he won,” said Kok.

“The owner thinks he can still win in Class 5 Division 2.

“Besides, we also race for better stakes money here.”

The Singaporean trainer is aware the win might be just a flash in the pan, especially for such low-grade horses, but confidence boosters can be a beautiful thing in racing – both for horses and owners.

“He’s a weird horse. Two starts back, he made a U-turn after the start,” said Kok.

“But he did show some ability, like at his last start, when he missed the kick and made up ground for fifth. I thought he had a chance to run a place with the light weight and the Polytrack today.

“I think he also liked the soft going. He deserves another chance.”

One person who will probably feel he should get more chances after the boilover win is underrated jockey Vitor Espindola.

Among the six Brazilian jockeys plying their trade at Kranji, Espindola probably commands fewer quality rides, but he had his moment in the sun on May 4 – one ride for one win.

While some might have wondered about the wisdom of taking an MRT ride from his Yishun home for one booking on a “no-hoper”, the 21-year-old has a “half-full glass” outlook.

“I had only one ride today, not sure why, but it’s okay,” said the former Malaysian-based hoop.

“I know he was an outsider, but I still have a job to do. I try my best on every ride I get, and today was perfect.

“I rode this horse the last time. He’s very lazy, and I actually told the trainer to put him on Polytrack.

“In the race, I knew what I had to do. I started whipping him from the backstraight to get him going.

“In the straight, they all opened up and went wide, but I stuck to the inside. He finished off very well.”

After hugging the rails throughout, Very Surprise went around only the fading Golden Eighteen (Marc Lerner) in the straight before ducking back to the inside for his final assault.

Raging Rabbit (Manoel Nunes) powered home late, but had to settle for second place, with Centurion (Charles Perkins) third, another three lengths away.

“Vitor rode him well the last time. He knows the horse, so I put him back on,” said Kok. “He gave him a 10-out-of-10 ride today.”

manyan@sph.com.sg