YUSOFF WINS ON IRONSIDE
Yusoff gets the best out of Ironside
IRONSIDEAPP F YUSOFFD LOGAN
Michael Lee, 27/12/2020
Trainer Donna Logan’s good understanding of the chemistry between her horses and riders played some part in getting Ironside back into his winning groove on Sunday.
The Kiwi horsewoman had been undecided who to book on her duo of Eagle Eye and Ironside in the $70,000 Kranji Stakes C race over 1600m, but finally opted for the better match of Ironside and Yusoff Fadzli, putting trainer Mark Walker’s apprentice jockey Hakim Kamaruddin on Eagle Eye instead.
As the field spread across the track for a busy finish, Yusoff’s copybook handling of Ironside made the difference inside the last 300m, even after the Malaysian apprentice jockey lost his whip upon cornering.
Ironside (Yusoff Fadzli) springs an upset in the Kranji Stakes C race.
Ironside looked a little hampered for a run as well, but when a gap between Circuit Mission (A’Isisuhairi Kasim) and Vittoria Perfetta (Ruan Maia) presented itself at the 300m, the issue was quickly put beyond doubt.
Riding the Jimmy Choux six-year-old hands and heels, Yusoff was well on his way towards a win (fourth for the 2020 season) which had been eluding him since Lim’s Dashing on March 27, a few days before the Circuit Breaker.
Implement looked all set to hand jockey Louis-Philippe Beuzelin a hat-trick of wins (after he saluted earlier aboard Starlight and Imperium), but sneaking up right on his nearside, Ironside ($134) denied the Frenchman of that third hurrah by half-a-length with On Line (Vlad Duric) third another short head away. The winning time was 1min 34.77secs for the 1600m on the Short Course.
Eagle Eye was prominent in the early stages, but did not fire a shot when asked for the supreme effort in the home straight, finishing more than five lengths astern his stablemate.
“At first, I thought of giving the ride to Hakim, but Yusoff knows Ironside well. That horse can pull a bit,” said Logan.
“This horse has been off the scene for a long time (last of three wins came in a Class 3 race over 1200m back in January). I always felt he would get further.”
Yusoff, who was originally apprenticed to ex-Kranji trainer Saimee Jumaat and only joined Logan last year, said Ironside was fresh, but got his act together when called upon.
“I ride this horse in trackwork every day and know him well,” said Yusoff, who has one second place on the Lars Pearson-owned galloper from two previous rides.
“Sometimes he can be keen, but today, I was able to get him to settle behind horses, and he gave me a nice response at the top of the straight.
“I lost the whip, but once I got him to change his legs, he quickened very well.”
Ironside has now raced 18 times for four wins and three placings for stakes money in excess of $190,000 for Pearson.