Another Winner bought by David Ellis

Singapore Premiership leading trainer Mark Walker continued his momentum when producing impressive debut winner Ferocious (2 g Sebring - Wynnstay Avenue, by Fastnet Rock) in the $90,000 IRT Juvenile Stakes over 1200 metres on Friday night at Kranji 

Ridden by two-time Champion, and former Mark Walker, apprentice Shafiq Rizuan, Ferocious was quite breathtaking in victory by 2 ¼ lengths, after being held up back in the field, and sizzling home between runners one off the rail.

On the turf, rated good, Ferocious ran the 1200 metres in 1:10.5, last 600m in 36.0, and paid $4.00 & $1.70 on the NZ TAB.

Ferocious was purchased for $120,000 by David Ellis at the 2016 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale, and already comparisons are being made to another special horse he also bought - Singapore Horse of the Year War Affair (O'Reilly).

“I thought it was a freakish performance,” Ellis said. “When the horse missed the jump I thought ‘oh no', but our apprentice Suppy (Shafiq) never panicked, waited, got the horse balanced and it was pretty exciting stuff to see the way that he won.

“He was a horse that when we were preparing him in New Zealand he was difficult to gauge, because he was still a colt and very coltish in his behaviour. Mark (Walker) gelded him soon after arriving in Singapore, and it wasn't long before he said to me, “we've got a really good one here”.

“Mark told me yesterday that he could be the best horse we've had there since War Affair, and we're all very excited about his future.”

Ellis said that he was particularly taken with the horse at the Ready to Run Sale.

“He was a lovely animal, very athletic and had everything in the right place. He had a beautiful walk, used himself exceptionally well and he was a horse at the sale that we were determined to get the moment we saw him,” he said.

Photo credit - Luke Middlebrook - twitter.com