Sanjuan too classy in Tunku Gold Cup

KUALA LUMPUR,  February 15, 2010

SANJUAN lived up to his huge reputation when he captured the RM600,000 Tunku Gold Cup, the first big race of the Malaysian 2010 season, in record-equalling time at Sungei Besi here today.

Costing $130,000 as a yearling, the Australian gelding had won six of 18 races in good company in Australia.

Imported to Malaysia with the big races in mind, SANJUAN (Danehill Dancer - Tycoon Milly by Last Tycoon) had won his only two previous starts in the country in impressive manner, including a 3 1/2-length win in the RM250,000 Japan Bloodhorse Breeders Association Trophy over 1400m in Penang last December.

With Noel Callow astride, the Johnny Lim-trained SANJUAN proved much too good for the Malaysia 2009 Magic Millions Classic winner CAPTAIN OBVIOUS (Verglas - Shathor by Tirol), winning by 2 1/4 lengths. Third was JERAM FATT CHOY (Intergaze - Spicy Bounty by Celestial Bounty).

His winning time of 1min. 9.3secs. over the 1200m trip matched the course record first set by ARROW TO POST in 1995 and equalled by PERSIAN PLEASURE two years later. Staring at odds-on, SANJUAN paid RM8 for a win.

Home based trainers won nine of the ten races contested, with Lim recording a hat-trick.

The day's races ended with a spectacular upset when BRIGHT MASTER (Spectatorial - Our Showtime by Omnicorp) broke through for his maiden win in seven starts to pay RM631 for a win, the biggest surprise of the season so far.

RESULTS AT A GLANCE

1

 CLASS 5 - 1400M

3

 Ready To Go Brogan S Mutaza

1

1

 I Wish K L Chong K T Cheng

2

5

 Space Invader S B Tan I Fadzlei

3

10

 Gotspeed F Nathan Huzairi

4

2

 CLASS 5 - 1400M

7

 True Paradise F Nathan Chavez

1

2

 Rana's Music P S Kumaran Azman

2

8

 Rook S Cook Woodworth

3

3

 Ready To Run Brogan S Mutaza

4

3

 CLASS 5 - 1400M

1

 Fashion Thunder Danis N Callow

1

5

 Concrescence R Lines Chavez

2

4

 Blue Canyon A Rahim Y S Lim

3

6

 Tiger On The Hill Brogan S Ruzaini

4

4

 CLASSES 1 & 2 - 1600M

6

 Tatik Brogan S John

1

2

 Sazonar B T Lim Woodworth

2

4

 Sain Vesuvio Brogan Chavez

3

5

 Prince Gold E Breukelen Saifudin

4

5

 DA MA CAI STAKES,  CLASS 4 - 1400M

8

 Spartan Queen A Selvaratnam F Durso

1

14

 Under The Radar K L Chong K T Cheng

2

9

 Wealth Robert S Sandana

3

4

 Exchequer Brink Chavez

4

6

 NOVICE - 1200M

2

 Great Friends Brink Chavez

1

8

 Fire Bird Thwaites C F Chan

2

1

 Liberation Spirit A Selvaratnam P Braem

3

9

 Blue Hayil S Cook S Ruzaini

4

7

 CLASS 3 - 2200M

7

 Brilliant Glory B T Lim Sofhan

1

1

 City Star Brogan S Mutaza

2

5

 Viva Volksraad Brogan S Ruzaini

3

8

 Paddy Mac Brogan K T Cheng

4

8

 TUNKU GOLD CUP - 1200M

6

 Sanjuan B T Lim N Callow

1

14

 Captain Obvious K L Chong Woodworth

2

7

 Jeram Fatt Choy Maynard Sofhan

3

8

 Sinar Bintang Osman Aslam

4

9

 RESTRICTED MAIDEN - 1400M

10

 Isnottheprice B T Lim L L Tai

1

1

 The Sun Number One Brogan H K Cheng

2

2

 Don'tcallme Uncle McGillivray Y F Leong

3

8

 Bukit Tinggi Maynard N Callow

4

10

 CLASS 4 - 1400M

11

 Bright Master Osman Aslam

1

13

 Glory Kingdom McGillivray Saifudin

2

8

 Open Fire Thwaites C F Chan

3

6

 Any Coin Maynard N Callow

4