In a rare occurrence at Kranji, two full brothers filled the first two spots in a feature race when Slew Of Lode and In Fact ran 1-2 the $150,000 Group 3 Marsiling Classic Stakes (1800m) on Sunday.
Pitted against each other for the first time, the two Patrick Shaw-trained Argentinian-breds by Lode out of Slew Of Reality took their “sibling rivalry” up in the home straight when Slew Of Lode (John Powell) quickened away in the small six-horse field while In Fact tried to cut him back.
But as hard as In Fact (Corey Brown) tried, big brother (Slew Of Lode is five while In Fact is one year younger) had pinched too much of a commanding break for him to reel him in. Sent out as the second favourite ($17), Slew Of Lode kept wheeling away to post a 2 ¼-length victory from In Fact, with race-leader Brilliant Deal (Alan Munro) third another 1 ¾ lengths away. The winning time was 1min 55.88secs for the 1800m on the Polytrack.
In another rare twist of events, this year’s Marsiling Classic Stakes was a race playing out between only two trainers, Shaw who, other than Slew Of Lode and In Fact, also saddled Emperor’s Banquet (Barend Vorster) and Alexandra Palace (Craig Newitt), and Hideyuki Takaoka who was responsible for the two Shaw challengers, Brilliant Deal and Spring Thunder (Sam Subian).
Upon straightening, Takaoka still had a chance of upsetting the applecart (save for Alexandra Palace, the first three in the market was all Shaw’s with In Fact the late favourite on $14) as Brilliant Deal seemed to be holding on gamely to his lead, but that advantage soon proved untenable when Slew Of Lode, who momentarily looked like making little headway, suddenly hit top gear by unleashing a searing turn of foot.
The win not only showcased his versatility given he won his last race, the Group 3 Polytrack Mile Championship (1600m) two weeks ago, from the front, but also confirmed that his suspensory niggles are well under control.
“He had trained on since his last win and he’s won another good race. It goes to show we have dealt with his suspensory problem and he’s all sound now,” said Shaw who was at his fourth Group 3 win for the year (Quechua won the New Year Cup and Emperor’s Banquet won the Fortune Bowl).
“In Fact also ran well and it was great to see two full brothers claiming the first two positions. Corey said he came on but the last 100m was too tough and Slew Of Lode was too good for him.”
“The suspensory problem will never go away, but at least, we are managing it properly. It was his first run over 1800m and we’ll see how he pulls up before deciding where to after that run.”
Slew Of Lode shaped up as something out-of-the-box for Shaw and owner Fred Crabbia last year when he scored a four-in-a-row early in his career, but his leg issues soon reared their ugly heads. He did not salute for almost a year until the Polytrack Mile Championship win brought the smiles back.
Powell, who remains the only jockey to have won on Slew Of Lode, was one who was definitely wearing a wide grin at the winner’s circle.
“When Alan Munro came out to take the lead, I didn’t want to get into a speed battle with him and let him lead by five to six lengths,” said the experienced Australian hoop who went on to complete a race-to-race double with Blue Swede.
“He was at his first test over 1800m and for that reason, I didn’t want to chase him. From the 700m, I slowly crept up on them, but he suddenly started to go backwards at the 400m and for a second, I thought we would not make it.
“I have to be aggressive on him at times as he can race a little unkind around horses. I gave him a cover on his backside and luckily, he put another two lengths on them and the wheels just spinned away after that.”
With that sixth win from only 15 outings, Slew Of Lode has now brought his stakes earnings past the $460,000 mark for Crabbia.
– Singapore Turf Club
