A 10-out-of-10 ride from leading jockey Vlad Duric saw Distinctive Darci blow away his rivals in the S$125,000 Kranji Stakes A race over 1000m on Sunday.
Dropped in a rearward spot by the Australian rider, Distinctive Darci smoked his pipe, away from the hustle and bustle upfront, only gearing up for his assault as the field neared the 500m mark.
After setting a blistering pace from the get-go, Constant Justice (Craig Grylls) tried to stage another rally upon cornering but Al Green (Glen Boss) who was never far away, was in a winning mood as he drew on level terms.
But the both of them had not reckoned with the superior turn of foot of Distinctive Darci ($15 favourite), who once set in full flight, came sailing down the outside to go and post arguably the most impressive of his eight wins thus far.
Al Green stuck on valiantly for second place one and a half-length away with Raise No Doubt (Nooresh Juglall) showing that his last-start win at long odds was no fluke when he had to come across heels to deny Constant Justice of third place by a head another length away. The winning time was 58.71 seconds for the 1000m on the Polytrack.
At the post-race interview, winning trainer Mark Walker said that the Dato Terry Lee-owned Distinctive Darci would next run in the S$500,000 Gr.2 Merlion Trophy (1200m), the second Leg of the Singapore Sprint Series and the only one of the three Legs run on Polytrack, on April 27.
“He is going for the Merlion Trophy. On that run, you’d think he’d be a good chance,” said the Kiwi handler.
“It’s a good thing he was drawn out today. With the rain, the outside part was probably the better ground.
“Vlad timed his run to perfection. It was a fantastic win for Dato Lee and his daughter Teresa.”
While jockeys are known to keep their options open ahead of big races, Duric, the 2017 Singapore champion jockey, was more than happy to commit to the Darci Brahma four-year-old as his Merlion Trophy ride.
“I was booked to ride him in the Merlion Trophy a while ago. Even if there were other opportunities, I’m keen to stay with him,” said Duric.
“Dato Terry Lee and his daughter Teresa have been wonderful supporters of mine for a long time. I have to do the right thing.
“I was lucky that from the wide draw I got Spanish Bay’s back. Once I peeled him out to the outside, he just exploded away.
“For some reason, I was a bit concerned about the 1000m today, I don’t know why. Probably because he is more of an 1100m-1200m horse, but yes, he will get the Merlion Trophy up to his ears.”
Distinctive Darci has now amassed more than S$580,000 in prizemoney for the Fairdeal Stable of Dato Lee.
Bred by Nearco Stud Distinctive Darci was purchased by Te Akau Racing for $100,000 from Curraghmore's 2015 New Zealand Bloodstock draft. -STC
