SOLO VENTURE, freshened up after two
tremendous performances at the tailend of last season, as expected captured
the RM300,000 MRA Cup over 1,600m here today.
The six-year-old bay Australian gelding by Flying Spur out of the
Balmerino mare Hermitage Lane passed his first test in the top class last
November by winning the Astro Wah Lai Toi Charity Cup (2,000m) at Ipoh.
The following month, the Marinus van Breukelen-trained gelding flashed
home too late to catch BABY STAR in the RM1.35m Yang Di Pertua Negeri Gold
Cup over 2,200m, beaten by only a head.
Reunited with Saimee Jumaat, who partnered him in the Charity Cup, SOLO
VENTURE scored by a neck from XTHEREST (7 br.nz.g Kashani - Chantal Marie by
Grosvenor), winner of the Yang Di Pertua Negeri Gold Cup in 2002.
Perennial place-getter OPPOSING FORCE (8 ch.nz.g Jetball - Delia’s
Choice by Sir Tristram) finished third in the capacity field of 16 runners.
SOLO VENTURE, a A$100,000 purchase at the 2000 Inglis Melbourne Premier
Yearling Sale, failed to live up to expectation in Australia where he
managed two wins and five placings in 23 starts over three seasons.
Brought over to Malaysia, he started his local campaign promising enough
when he scored his his debut in August 2003. But it was only at the tailend
of last year and he blossomed.
Two wins in three starts earned him a promotion to the top class and he
has improved with every run since.
