Twice unsuccessful for trainer Lee Freedman, Nowyousee finally found the line for his new handler at his third try in Sunday’s $80,000 Class 3 Division 1 race over 1100m.
The O’Reilly four-year-old frustratingly found one better at his first two runs for the Australian since moving from South African handler Ricardo Le Grange, for whom he set a more than useful record of three wins and two placings from six starts.
On both occasions, he started at unbackable odds, but he met in Country Boss and Kiss Your Song two nemeses not many had seen coming.
Punters’ faith in the Titanium Racing Stable-owned galloper had obviously not been dampened despite the two defeats.
Again sent off the favourite, but just a fraction more sheepishly at $14, Nowyousee travelled like a winner from the moment he took the gun spot outside speedy filly Filibuster (Michael Rodd).
Turning for home, you did not need to be Monty Roberts to decide who between Filibuster and Nowyousee was striding out better.
The moment Nowyousee swept past the fading mare, the race was over in the twinkling of an eye. Cousteau (Alysha Collett) and the resuming Nova Vocal (Craig Grylls) had a brief whiff of a possible upset when they tried to tack on, but they were soon left chasing shadows.
Nowyousee was off and gone by the 200m. The exciting galloper rolled through the line with just under five lengths to spare from Cousteau with Nova Vocal third another neck away. The winning time was 1min 5secs for the 1100m on the Polytrack.
“First-up, he had some excuses and second-up, he was beaten by that good horse (Kiss Your Song) that was taking some weight off him,” said Freedman.
“I told (Titanium Racing Stable racing manager) Dean (Russell) that I’ve never seen him any better than today, both on his work and demeanour.
“He’s a very smart horse and I may be looking at a Kranji Stakes B race in October.”
The race Freedman was referring to was a Kranji Stakes B race over 1100m on Polytrack on October 7.
Moor, who was at his second partnership with Nowyousee, said the plan was to put the race to bed early in the hope it would break his rivals’ hearts in the process.
“If Filibuster was vulnerable at all, it would be today. So the plan was to sit outside her if she led,” said the Australian jockey who as at the double after winning the opener aboard Invincible Man.
“He’s had a few runs under the belt, and we wanted him to put them to the sword early today.
“For that to happen, we had to poke him off early and use his toughness and fitness to see it through and he did in brilliant style.”
With that fourth win in nine starts, Nowyousee has now taken his stakes earnings past the $210,000 mark for Jeffrey Soh’s Titanium Racing Stable.
Nowyousee was a graduate of Sledmere Stud’s 2016 Magic Millions Yearling Sale draft where he was sold to Theo Kieser for $170,000
News: Michael Lee – Singapore Turf Club