Super Turbo revs up for quick return to Happy Valley

11/10/2016

By David Morgan

Super Turbo (130lb) makes a rapid return to action tomorrow night (Wednesday, 12 October) in the Class 3 Yew Handicap (1200m) at Happy Valley, the scene last week of a second hard luck reversal in as many starts this term for the David Hall-trained galloper.

The sight of Zac Purton holding a fistful of leather astride the double-pulling grey, with not a chink of daylight to exploit, made difficult watching for the 3.9 shot’s supporters. The hard fact of a ninth-place finish, three and a quarter lengths behind the victorious Happy Surveys, means the three-year-old will step out again at the course and distance in search of quick recompense. This time, Neil Callan takes the reins.

“His two runs this season, he’s been unlucky,” Callan said. “Vincent (Ho) got no run on him and then it was the same for Zac - just running into back ends all the time.”

Super Turbo’s one win from six starts as a two-year-old in Ireland came when shouldering a heavyweight 140lb in a 1200m Fairyhouse nursery; his four Hong Kong outings to date have yielded a further victory, at the course and distance back in July. Wednesday night will be Callan’s first sit on the horse.

“When he won last season he was very impressive, he came from way back in the field,” Callan recalled. “I finished third in the race on Extremely Fun and he came up my inside - he showed a really good turn of foot that day.”

Super Turbo will break from stall two in the night’s finale, a competitive 12-runner heat that features, among others, top-weight Go Baby Go (133lb), last time winner Who’sthedude (118lb), Happy Cheers (123lb) - heading in off a promising Hong Kong debut last start - and Courageous Brother (121lb), Purton’s mount this time.

“Super Turbo’s pulled a good gate in two; he’s backed him up because he’s more or less only had a trial last start. If he gets the pace on and he gets the run of the race I can see him running a big race,” Callan said.

“It’s either going to open or it’s not - it’s as simple as that,” he added. “The day he won last season, he had to switch back to the inside fence to get a run and he quickened up pretty smartly, so I’m sure he’s one of those that just gets back a little and you just hope for a clear run. It’s like any race here, you need that bit of luck in the race and hopefully it’s third time lucky. He’s got the turn of foot - he showed that with his win last season - so we know that if it does drop right, he’s more than capable at this level.”

Purton had no luck last time and finds himself in opposition aboard the Manfred Man-trained Courageous Brother, due to circumstance.

“I was already booked to ride this horse and Super Turbo didn’t have much of a run last week, so David decided to back him up quickly and that’s just the way it goes,” Purton revealed.  “I don't think there’s much between them. Courageous Brother’s last run was good and Super Turbo, if he’d got that split, would probably have gone on to win that race. It’s just a matter of who gets the right run in the race and I’m sure it will be a good battle.

“The way Courageous Brother closed it off last time, any speed in the race is going to play into his hands.”

Millard’s Super and his Power

The night’s feature is the Class 4 Ireland Trophy (Handicap) over 1800m. Trainer Tony Millard and jockey Karis Teetan will team up once again with top-weight Super Form (133lb), the trio having scored a 93/1 success over 1650m at the Valley on 7 September.

“There are a couple of good horses at the bottom so it’s not an easy field, it’s certainly a lot stronger than last time,” Millard said. “One would hope that he can step up now but that is a better field and he’s got 133 (pounds) on his back as well, which isn’t great. He’s got a chance.”

Teetan said: “He’s the type of horse that appreciates it if we ride him a little quiet. I know there’s not much speed in the race but there’s nothing much we can do about it, we just have to go with it. I don't think it will help me, thinking there’s no pace and chasing him forward - I don’t think he’d finish his race. You can see last time he appreciated me just giving him a bit of a chance and he really had a good finish. We’ll let him do that again and he’s going well.”

Super Form, an Azamour four-year-old that had two starts without success in Ireland pre-import, went to post seven times in Hong Kong before breaking his duck.

“He came here and I don't think he was ready yet in his first season but he was giving us a good feeling in the morning,” Teetan said. “And then after the summer break, sitting on him in the morning, I could see that he was improving and that he was a stronger horse. He’s the type of horse that is going to improve and get stronger - his last trial was good, so I’m looking forward to riding him again.

“He’s going well, so while I know the speed map is against us I’m sure he’ll be hitting the line very strongly.”

Millard is also hopeful that C P Power (126lb), the mount of Joao Moreira, can open his Hong Kong account in race six, the Class 4 Poplar Handicap (1000m). The Nadeem four-year-old was second at the course and distance last time behind the re-opposing Very Rich Man (127lb).

“He has a better draw this time (four), so we’re hoping,” Millard said. “We’ve just freshened him up and we’re running him straight back. We haven’t done much with him - we haven't needed to because the horse is fit.

“He’s a Class 4 horse - maybe bottom of Class 3 in a weak field - he hasn't shown us more than that. There’s a race there to win, we need to just win it - if he gets any more points he’s going to struggle.”

In the same 12-runner contest, Paul O’Sullivan looks to Lucky Seven, third behind Very Rich Man and C P Power last time and a shade better off at the weights with both.

“He has an awkward gate in 12,” said the trainer. “He drew nine the other day but that was a good ride from Opie (Bosson), he got him across into the one-one position, so he got some luck too. He’s gone to pull the stick and had it knocked out of his hand but I think a couple around the tail and he’d have gone closer.

“The 12 gate is the problem. He has got a bit of gate speed but he’s going to have to use it.”

Bosson, twice New Zealand’s champion jockey, has found it tough going this season with no win from only 29 rides but O’Sullivan has no doubts about the rider’s ability.

“He’s a very capable jockey but it’s a tough joint, Hong Kong,” he said. “I’m happy to put him on, very happy. He could turn it around overnight, you’ve just got to ride a couple of winners and away you go - he’s a good enough jockey to do that.”

Aerovelocity on song

O’Sullivan was on hand this morning (Tuesday, 11 October) to watch his stable star Aerovelocity stride out in a barrier trial as he builds towards the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) in December, with the G2 Premier Bowl (1200m) at Sha Tin on 23 October a likely first port of call.

The eight-year-old, Hong Kong’s former champion sprinter and a triple G1 winner, led the field through the 1200m trial around the all-weather track and looked at ease as he passed the post under Purton in 1m 10.71s.

“He’s going well; he’s in a good frame of mind; he feels good; he went through his gears quite nicely and I’m very happy with the way he’s going,” Purton said. “He’s probably only about eighty percent so he’s going to get better and by the time December comes around, hopefully we can be a player again.”