Malaysian 3YO Championship returns after one year
April 5, 2021 –
Malaysian racegoers are in for a treat in age group competitions in the next few months.
Right after the tussle for 4YO honours began in Ipoh last week came the news that the three Malaysian clubs have agreed to run the Malaysian 3YO Championship again this year. Last year’s series was vacated because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent cancellation of races and restrictions.
The 4YO Challenge series was introduced this year to make up for the three-year-olds who had to miss out on the competition, after the southern hemisphere horses turned one year older last August.
However, prizemoney for this year’s 3YO Championship series have been reduced to RM300,000 in total but still a large sum in view of the current prize structure.
The Malaysia 3YO Championship series was first held from 2012 to 2014 and brought back in 2017 to encourage the importation of quality young horses into the country. Staged jointly by the three Malaysian clubs, it aims to boost the horse population, making racing more competitive across the board and in feature races. This will in turn generate greater interest and increase the turnover.
The 2012 winner Colin The Firth (All Bar One – Orchis by Octagonal) finished second in the Perak Gold Vase the same year and came in third again in 2013.
The 2013 victor Ghost Street (California Dane – Pomme De Here by Dehere) retired after winning five races, and Black And White (Mutawaajid – Dubai Pearl by Charnwood Forest), who triumphed in 2014 is still active today at the age of ten with 15 wins to his name.
Further proof that the Championship series do unearth talents is demonstrated by Balotelli (My Halo – Step We Gaily by Danske), second to Black And White in 2014, who went on to win the Tunku Gold Cup and Perak Gold Vase the following season and retired in 2018 with seven wins to his credit.
Feisty Leo (Blackfriars – Speed School by Royal Academy) won a heat in 2012 before going to Singapore where he scored a hattrick the same year. After his return to Malaysia, the gelding has continued to win his share of the races and even finished fourth to Fortunique in the Perak Derby in 2017. He retired with 11 wins to his name.
Panda Bomb (Phenomenons – Riverside Lass by Noalchoholic), who finished second to Aragorn (Manhattan Rain – Class Apart by French Deputy) in 2017, went on to equal the 1,400m track record over the short course at Sungei Besi when he won a Class 3 event the following year in the time of 1min. 21.4secs, matching the record set by Good Sight in 2011.
Relau Star (Captain Sonador – Shovella by Shovhog), runner-up to Step By Step (Captain Gerrard – American Morsecode by All Chatter) in the 2018 Final, is today one of the best sprinters around with ten wins to his credit.
The 2019 winner Kante (Postponed – Strengthened by Woodman) has been plagued by injuries and made only two appearances last year, thus unable to display his full potential.
Amongst the unplaced brigade in 2019, Gloria Maris (Dick Turpin – Recoverable by Metal Storm) has gone on to win five races while Selangor Star (Niagara Causeway – Juncture by El Prado) has four victories to his name. Rakama (Domesday – Senora Vega by Rock Of Gibraltar) and Doctor Ginger (Gingerbread Man – Empower Me by Canny Lad) have three wins each.
The 2021 Malaysia 3YO Championship series will begin with the first heat in Penang on May 15. Selangor will stage the second heat on June 13, followed by the third heat in Ipoh on July 10. Each heat offers RM60,000 in prizemoney.
Penang Turf Club will host the series Final with stakes of RM120,000 on July 18.
For more information, please visit the respective club’s websites:
https://www.penangturfclub.com
http://www.selangorturfclub.com
http://www.perakturfclub.my
3岁马锦标赛卷土重来
紧接着上周在怡保开始的4岁马荣誉争夺战之后，便有传自马来西亚三个马会的消息，它们已同意今年再次举办“马来西亚3岁马锦标赛”。去年，这个系列因面临新冠肺炎（Covid-19）大流行的冲击，而跟其他赛事一同被取消。
但今年的3岁马锦标系列总奖金已被调降至RM300,000。不过，在当前的奖金结构面前，这仍然是可观的数目。
马来西亚3岁马锦标赛系列于2012年至2014年首次举行，并于2017年重新举办，以鼓励马主们入口优质年轻马匹来马来西亚参赛。该系列乃由国内三家赛马公会联合举办，旨在增加马匹数量的同时，也要促使比赛全线地更具竞争力，望能激起马友们更大的兴趣，从而提高投注额。
2012年的优胜者为“高林”，它同年在“霹雳金瓶”得亚军，2013年在同赛事则得季军。它退休时累积了7胜记录。
2013年优胜者为“鬼街”，夺标5场后退休。
2014年的优胜者为“善恶分明”，迄今夺标15场，在9岁高龄仍参战。
此系列所发掘的其他卓越良驹包括“巴特利”和“怒狮”。前者于2014年随“善恶分明”之后得亚军，但它次年大发雄威，攻下“东姑金杯”和“霹雳金瓶”，至2018年退役时，共赢7场。
“怒狮”于2012年破一关后，同年移师新加坡，连下3城。返马后，此驹继续出赛，战绩不俗，并在2017年的“霹雳打比”获殿军。它已总共夺得11个温拿，今年11岁，依然活跃
“熊猫炮弹”在2017年虽不敌“阿拉贡”而得亚军，但在次年里，它在新街场一个第3级1400公尺短直程的场合，写下1:21.4 的优异成绩，平了“好眼光”在2011年创下的记录。
这两匹马“阿拉贡”和“熊猫炮弹”，目前或许都不处顶峰状态，但它们都曾分别赢得5场和6场。
“湖内之星” 在2018年总决赛输给“步步为赢”，但今天却是本地最佳短途健将之一，有着8胜记录。
去年的优胜者“坎特”又发挥到什么程度呢？
啊，它两度参赛皆无敌。2018年12月一岁时，它一出即胜，然后，它休战至六月总决赛才亮相，再度克敌，却迄今不见它再参赛。
今年，2021年的“马来西亚3岁马锦标赛系列”的第1关，已定期5月15日在槟城开锣。雪兰莪马会将于6月13日举行第2关。 第3关在怡保，日期为7月10日。每一关的奖金都是RM60,000，赛程1200公尺。
总决赛奖金为RM 120,000,将于7月18日盛大举行，地点在槟城。