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FREE SPIRIT lived up to his favourite tag when
he easily won the RM750,000 Selangor Gold Cup over 1600m at Sungei Besi here
today. Ridden by champion jockey
Saimee Jumaat, the four-year-old brown Australian gelding by Citidancer out
of Star Party (by Star Pak) packed too much power for his rivals, winning by
two-and-a-half lengths.
SCENIC SEA (5 b.a.g Scenic - Sea Pines by
Godswalk) finished second, ahead of the Tunku Gold Cup winner GOLDEN RAINBOW
(5 ch.a.g Danewin - Cafe Opera by Lunchtime).
Winner of the 2005 Magic Millions Classic
last September, FREE SPIRIT was narrowly beaten when third in the Yang Di
Pertua Negeri Gold Cup on new year’s day and second in the Tunku Gold Cup in
January leading to today’s race.
FREE SPIRIT has never been out of the money
in 11 starts, winning five times and his victory today brought his earnings
to pass the RM1,173,000 mark, a truly rags-to-riches story for a horse who
cost trainer Chong Keng Leong only A$28,000 at the Perth sale.
For Saimee, it was his fourth win in the
series, having tasted success on FISCHER in 1997 and 1998 and OPPOSING FORCE
in 2004.
It was a splendid afternoon for Saimee who
was in superb form despite a one-year disqualification hanging over his
head.
Earlier on, he scored on HIT THE SPOT (6
ch.a.g Strategic - Splendid Melody by Decies) and after the Cup, he greeted
the judge again on GOLDEN RANGER (7 b.a.g Tong Po - Red Sundae by Sovereign
Red).
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