Dunderdale’s fighters look ready to rumble

As expected, with the races at Sungai Besi looming large on Dec 22, most runners would have already been primed and pampered ahead of their tasks.

However, and as always, there was action on the training track and Dec 19 was no exception.

Sure, there were no signs of the cavalry charging over the sprint trip and there were no queues behind the 600m starting line.

But trainers did send out some of their Sunday soldiers – if only for light work.

Of course, there were some bright sparks. And a couple of “fighters”.

Yes, “fighters” as in trainer Simon Dunderdale’s runners, So We Fight and Good Fight.

Down to contest races three and six respectively on Dec 22, So We Fight loosened up by a strong canter while Good Fight went against the clock, running the 600m in a smart 38.8sec.

A seven-year-old by Super One, Good Fight has been putting together some fine results at his last handful of race starts.

Indeed, his last four runs going back to Oct 26 produced two fourths and a couple of second-place finishes. Yes, he looks the real deal in Race 6 – even if the 1,200m might seem a tad too short.

As for So We Fight, he will be shooting for a hat-trick of wins having punished his rivals at his last two starts.

The four-year-old by So You Think has drawn Gate 9 in Sunday’s 11-horse affair. It appears a wee bit awkward but So We Fight should muscle his way to the front and, once there, a three-in-a-row will look well within his grasp.

If you are looking for a galloper who has been working up a storm ahead of his next start, you might want to be looking at Diaz.

It was on Dec 3 that we saw him kicking up the turf on the training track. That day he caught the attention of clockers when running the 600m in a breezy 38.3sec.

He was at the races on Dec 8 when he ran fifth to Pacific Delight.

Allowed a breather, he was, on Dec 17, at it again.

That time, on a track rated good, he charged over that same 600m in a flashy time of 37.0sec.

Diaz, it seemed, was not done yet.

Just a day later, on the morning of Dec 18, the five-year-old son of Winning Rupert produced another smart gallop, running the 600m in 38.3sec.

All that in preparation for his assignment coming up on Dec 22.

That day, he will take on Class 5 (A) opposition in a sprint over the 1,020m and, we reckon, his trainer Nick Selvan will carry high hopes into that race.

Also from the gallops on Dec 18, there is another racer who bears watching.

From the stables of in-form trainer Ricky Choi, Dragon Claw would have caught the eye with his gallop over the 600m which he covered in 37.4sec.

Before being flown over from Macau to the Malaysian capital, Dragon Claw won two races in the former Portuguese enclave.

Those races were run over the 1,200m (Feb 24) and 1,500m (Feb 17).

Since relocating, Choi has sent his five-year-old to two trials.

They were not spectacular but, with that latest gallop under his girth, Dragon Claw could be the surprise package in that very-competitive Class 3 sprint coming up in Race 4 on Dec 22.

Another one who should do well in his race must be Somar.

Like Dragon Claw, he was out for a training gallop on Dec 18 and he ran the 600m in 39.6sec.

Another one from Selvan’s yard, Somar’s sharp sprint came a day after he was seen doing a strong canter over the back stretch of the track.

While he is getting long in the tooth, the now eight-year-old by El Roca has been a reliable horse to have in the barn.

He has won 10 races from his 61 starts going back to Jan 19, 2020.

However, like so many other “old timers” in the game, one has to flip the pages a far way back to find his last win.

In Somar’s case, the last time he trotted into the winner’s enclosure was on April 28. That was in a 1,020m race.

He goes over the same track and trip on Dec 22 and he is not without a winning chance.

brian@sph.com.sg