A rise in class did little to halt the promising On Line (NZ) (O’Reilly) in his tracks on Sunday.
Raced by Thai outfit Falcon Racing No 7 Stable, the O’Reilly four-year-old has now racked up four wins at his last five starts.
A winner at Class 4 level over seven furlongs at his last start one month ago, On Line was just as lethal when pitted against Class 3 rivals over a trip which connections had been looking to set him on for a while now – 1800m.
Ridden by champion apprentice jockey Simon Kok Wei Hoong, On Line enjoyed an economical run in transit. When the gaps opened up at the 300m, the bay gelding let down with a short sharp burst that carried him to victory.
Clements saw the win as a confirmation that On Line can run a trip and can also account for better than bread-and-better class.
“We’ve been wanting to run him over a distance for a while. He is bred for it, and everything he’s done, he’s shown that,” said the Zimbabwean-born conditioner.
“It was a good confident ride from Simon. It was quite a soft win in the end as it was not the toughest of fields to beat.
“He’s a progressive sort and I think he now has enough points to qualify for the 4YO series. We’ll look at a Class 3 race over 1600m next and then run him in the second Leg – we wouldn’t want to go for the first Leg.”
The Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge kicks off with the Silver Bowl (1400m) in three weeks’ time on February 29. On Line will be aimed at the second Leg instead, the Stewards’ Cup (1600m) on March 20.
The Singapore Derby over 1800m is the third and last Leg and will be run on April 18, all part of a major departure from the later June-July time slot for the four-year-old challenge in the past.
