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EL PADRINO made it a
back-to-back double in the Merlion Trophy when he came from last to capture
the Group 3 sprint over 1200m on the polytrack at Kranji here today.
While he was ridden by
David Flores 12 months ago, Oscar Chavez had the mount on the New Zealand
gelding this time and what a gem of a ride it was.
The Panamanian had to bring
the six-year-old from last at the home to he beat the multiple group winner
STEPITUP in the first leg of the Singapore sprint series.
It was a triumphant return
to the saddle on the EL PADRINO foe Chavez who won six races on the gelding
from 2011 till early 2013.
EL PADRINO won the Merlion
Trophy and Woodlands Classic, as well as the Asia Challenge Cup in Seoul
last year, with Flores in the saddle.
It's the third Merlion
Trophy win in a row for trainer Alwin Tan who was also successful with
SPEEDY CAT in 2013.
"This is the race I have
long targeted for him. I didn’t dare give him any other race as I didn’t
want to upset his preparation," said Tan after the race. "I’ve already
submitted an application for Dubai. I hope he gets an invitation for the
Golden Shaheen (run on Mar 29), which is run on dirt."
EL PADRINO won a 1400m race
in Dubai in January 2012.
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