Thumps-up for 'new' Penang track

PENANG:  Mar 19, 2011

After a lapse of nearly nine months, racing resumed in Penang today with jockeys giving the 'thumps-up' to the newly re-laid track and local based trainers dominating the early proceedings.

The Cecil Robert-trained CIZEN BANK (Elusive City - Follow Me Follow by Gaius) set the tone for the home based brigade by winning the opening event. They eventually won five of eight races on the card.

The eye-opener, however, came in a Class 4 - 1200m sprint mid-way through the afternoon when the promising FLYING SPEED (Elusive City - To The Manor by Grand Lodge) chalked up his third win in five starts.

The three-year-old covered the trip in 1min 9.6secs., just 0.3 second off the course record which was first set by KING'S SEAL in 1993 and equalled by I'M DEWAN in 1999.

Trained by Kevin Coetzee, FLYING SPEED was able to come from a long way off the pace early to charge home on the outside of runners at the home bend to win drawing away by 1 1/2 lengths.

Winning jockey Azhar Ismail said: "The gradual upward inclination was very smooth while the downward ride in the final straight towards the finishing line was also very gradual."

The 'new' track has a gradual rise of 8 metres (27 feet) in contour from the 1400m mark to the 400m.

To mark the re-opening of the track, the Penang Turf Club offered the public free entry to the grandstand today.

RESULTS AT A GLANCE

1

 CLASS 4 - 1200M

1

 Cizen Bank Robert Woodworth

1

10

 Ikebukuro T Gillespie Sani

2

13

 Jeram Jumbo T Yeoh H K Cheng

3

5

 Happy Thoughts S H Tan Azhar

4

2

 CLASS 4 - 1200M

1

 Arcanine R Lines P Braem

1

7

 Track Glory Thwaites B Tai

2

12

 Xin Dong Warrior J H Tan Woodworth

3

11

 Woohu Tiang K Eirwan

4

3

 CLASS 5 - 1400M

7

 Hard To Say J Tan Sani

1

6

 Pound R Lines J Low

2

5

 Touessrock Brink Saifudin

3

14

 Myth Opening S Cook Wepner

4

4

 CLASS 5 - 1400M

5

 Cizen Command Robert Azhar

1

15

 Blesswithstyle J Tan Goon

2

16

 Glory Betting Tiang Aify

3

8

 Speed Leopard H S Lim H K Cheng

4

5

 CLASS 4 - 1200M

3

 Flying Speed K Coetzee Azhar

1

8

 Colourlandprestige Robert Woodworth

2

12

 Turningold S H Tan Saifudin

3

6

 Bukit Naga A Rahim Wan

4

6

 NSF SILVER PLATE (Malaysian Breds) - 1400M

2

 Lightningofmalaya Tiang K Eirwan

1

4

 Beautiful Choice McGillivray Woodworth

2

1

 Winner Takes All Brogan H K Cheng

3

3

 Wonderful Gift Sukri E G Cruz

4

7

 CLASS 4 - 1700M

4

 Century Flyboy Tiang H S Gill

1

3

 Up To You Noordin J Low

2

5

 Lion City Hero T Gillespie H K Cheng

3

13

 Night Shadow K Coetzee Azhar

4

9

 CLASS 5 - 1700M

1

 Good Baby K Coetzee B N Kumar

1

5

 Big Red Point Tiang H S Gill

2

13

 Conundrum K Hughes Wepner

3

15

 Rumours T Gillespie J Low

4