Racingweb Briefs NEWS

Speedster Rocket Man is back on track

Published by charl on February 5, 2010

TRAINER Patrick Shaw’s Rocket Men will return to competitive racing this Sunday in the $125,000 Kranji Stakes (1200m) at Kranji on the Polytrack surface.

Trainer Patrick Shaw was only satisfied to run Singapore’s top sprinter after he galloped at trackwork on Tuesday morning to his satisfaction.
Slightly reluctant to run the four-year-old as he is not at peak fitness, Shaw conceded that he needed to give Rocket Man a hitout in order to achieve that goal.

“He’s a bit like a boxer. You can do all the work in the ring, but it is not like getting into the fight,” Shaw told the official website of the Singapore Turf Club.

“He needs some racing now to bring him to his top.”

Prior to Tuesday’s trackwork gallop, owner Fred Crabbia’s star had two barrier trials on January 14 and January 26.

Rocket Man is being aimed at the US$2 million Group 1 Golden Shaheen (1200m) on the Tapeta surface at Meydan on March 27, also known as Dubai World Cup night.

All going well, he is likely to return home to try and go one better in the in the US$690,000 Group 1 KrisFlyer International Sprint (1200m) on May 16.

“Naturally the Dubai race is our focus but we’ll wait and see how he comes through Sunday’s race first,” Shaw added.

Rocket Man, who injured his hairline condylar fracture of the cannon bone to his off-side foreleg last July, has not raced since finishing second to champion sprinter Sacred Kingdom in last year’s KrisFlyer.