Michelle Says Hello Right on the Line

The Singapore Turf Club reports:

The second Leg of the Singapore Golden Horseshoe for two-year-olds saw a feisty Hello Michelle punch her way through to get up by the narrowest of margins in a three-way thriller on Sunday.

After travelling in the box-seat courtesy of a good gate, the Mark Walker-trained filly was angled out from the fence by jockey Alan Munro at the 300m to set sail after favourite Mystic Master (Shafiq Rizuan) with longshot Deimos (Wong Chin Chuen) joining the fray on the outside for a captivating end to the concluding stages of the $90,000 Singapore Silver Horseshoe (1000m).

Sandwiched between the two, Hello Michelle kept digging deep and was the one who worried them out of it as she put her head down on the line when it mattered to win by a nose from Deimos with Mystic Master third another head away.

Hello Michelle (Alan Munro, middle) wins the bob from Deimos (Wong Chin Chuen, outside) while
Mystic Master (Shafiq Rizuan) settles for third another head away.

Sent out as the second $18 favourite, Hello Michelle, a daughter of Minstrel Court - who incidentally was a speedy two-year-old for Walker during his training days in New Zealand - clocked 59.47 seconds for the 1000m on Polytrack.

Trainer Mark Walker was proven right in his decision to ride Hello Michelle more quiet compared to her first run in the first Leg, the Kranji Nursery Stakes when she was bustled up early to take the lead before floundering late to run fourth to Jupiter Gold.

“We decided to ride her quiet today. She was used up too much at her first run,” said the Kiwi handler.

“She has a great attitude and being by a Zabeel mare (Paixanito), she will get better over more distance.”

Munro, who took over from the suspended Manoel Nunes, said Hello Michelle does not have a sharp bust typical of sprinters, which is line with Walker's assessment her future might be charted over longer trips.

“I worked her on Wednesday and she gave me the feeling she had an extra gear in her,” said the English rider.

“I gave her a win chance, but she's probably more of a 1200m horse. She was a bit flat when I had to pick her off the speed.  I wasn't sure I won on the line. I came back expecting to get beat, but it's great we won.”

Raced by the Synthetic Stable, Hello Michelle has taken her burgeoning stakes earnings past the $50,000 mark with that early maiden victory.

Among the also-rans, Cadet (Barend Vorster) was caught three wide and under these conditions, must be credited with an improved run from his first-Leg run (seventh to Jupiter Gold) to finish fourth, albeit a big gap of five lengths off the first three. Theo Kieser's debutant Halo Bright (Corey Brown), who did well in the barrier trials, led but found nothing when the swoopers descended on him to run sixth.

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