O’Hara puts the shine on Fame Star
The best from yesterday's trackwork at Kranji
What a thrill it must be to have a horse like Fame Star race in your colours. He does everything you can ask of a racehorse - and more.
Right now, it must be a sort of fairy tale for Constance Cheng and her partners, who make up the Toast Trusts & Kadima Stable.
Their horse is right where he should be. On top of his game, that is and - come Saturday - when it'll once again be "starters' up" in Singapore, after a three-month racing suspension because of Covid-19, they will be dreaming big.
Six wins on the trot and eight in total, trainer John O'Hara and the connections have every right to dream big things for their five-year-old.
Indeed, as racing connoisseurs go, we will all be cheering on Fame Star. A pity though, that spectators are not allowed to watch the proceedings at Kranji reopening.
Still, and if he does put together seven on the trot, you can bet there will be a mighty roar from wherever racegoers gather to take in the action in these trying times.
Well, if you're wondering just what condition Fame Star is in right now, the answer to the question is positive.
O'Hara and his team have done a mighty fine job keeping Fame Star ticking all through this awful pandemic - and they're not about to rest on their laurels.
Yesterday on the right-handed Track 6, Fame Star was put through his paces. With the real work all done in the weeks gone by, Fame Star wasn't asked to do much.
Still, and in his leisurely fashion, he still put together a nice gallop, clocking 38.4sec for the 600m. Somewhere on trackside, O'Hara must have felt good.
Fame Star's ready to pick up from where he left off. His last win was way back in February, when he won a 1,200m sprint. That was on grass and he goes over the Polytrack on Saturday. Will the alternate surface work against him?
The answer has got to be "no". It might make it a tad more difficult but Fame Star has raced on the Poly and, from his four starts, he has picked up a win, a second, a third and a fourth.
So, to give credit where credit's due, I'd say he has as good a chance as the rest of the talents that will line up in Race 12.
If there was another runner who took a shine to the training track yesterday, it had to be Awesome Conqueror. He's another from O'Hara's yard and he's down to contest Race 4.
Awesome Conqueror had jockey Marc Lerner's feet in the irons when, with stablemate Ferocious for company, he disposed of the 600m in 36.8sec.
A three-year-old, he was coming to hand nicely when racing ground to a halt in early April.
He had, a month earlier, put in his best effort, finishing second to Charming Diamond in a Class 5 race over the 1,200m.
Then, in his last start just a week before racing went into lockdown, he was a good thing beaten when fourth to Crystal Dragon in a Restricted Maiden race over the Poly 1,100m.
That day, he had to race wide and without cover for most of the trip. But he still finished off the race well. He must be given an outside chance on Saturday.
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