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There was no prouder
trainer at Kranji here today than Hideyuki Takaoka when he saddled MUSKETEER
to victory in the S$150,000 El Dorado Classic over 2200m.
After all, the race was
named after his now-retired Singapore Gold Cup hero who won the Cup thrice
in 2008, 2009 and 2011.
Ridden by Alan Munro,
MUSKETEER was always well up with the pace and staved off a determined
challenge by TROPAIOS to win by half a length.
The runner-up raced nine
times in France last year, claiming four wins including the listed Prix
Millkom over 1600m. At the end of his three-year-old campaign, he was
purchased for €210,000 and headed for Singapore.
MUSKETEER, on the other
hand, landed in Singapore unraced and today's win was his fifth in 19
starts.
With the win, Japanese bred
MUSKETEER earned an automatic berth in the Singapore Gold Cup which will be
run in three weeks' time and there is no trainer with better credentials
than Takaoka in the Gold Cup at the moment.
The Japanese trainer also
won the race with BETTER LIFE, ridden by Munro, last year, making it four
out of the last five.
"He’s (MUSKETEER) a good
horse, but he has a bit of a temperament and can be inconsistent at times.
He’s not in the same class as EL DORADO or BETTER LIFE, but he can stay and
deserves his chance," said Takaoka.
It was a superb afternoon
for Japanese breds as they won four races here with another (IWA
ANTILIA) winning in Ipoh.
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