GOODPACK returned to racing
after one year out of action and promptly caused an upset in the Benchmark
74 - 1600m event on the polytrack at Kranji tonight.
Apprentice Chan Wei Sheng,
who was riding the gelding for the first time this evening, took the
six-year-old to the front on settling down and the pair was never headed,
winning by two and a half lengths, paying $80 for a win.
GOODPACK last raced on Jan
17 last year when he finished fourth in the Group 3 Woodlands Classic
Stakes.
GOODPACK won three races in
2012, ending the season with a third placing in the Group 3 Colonial Chief
Stakes.
But 2013 proved an
exasperating season for the Australian gelding with several placings in the
group races, notably a fourth-placed finish in the Group 1 Patrons' Bowl.
"To be honest, I was not
expecting him to win. He had many leg problems and he’s coming back after
one year," said trainer Leslie Khoo.
There was an even bigger
shock earlier in the evening when PURE TACTICS won the Benchmark 67 - 1200m
sprint to pay $130 for a win, even though the gelding had won his last start
in early December. It was the fifth win in 26 starts for the five-year-old.
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