Viva Viviano - Back to Back Wins

The Singapore Turf Club reports:

If there was a vote for the thriller of the day, the blanket finish between four horses in Race 9 would win hands-down, with Viviano the victor in an epic battle.

But the shocker was that odds-on favourite ($9) Cyborg (Barend Vorster) did not figure among that fighting quartet. The Patrick Shaw runner, who was bidding for a fourth win from five starts could only finish fifth, just under two lengths astern.

Viviano, a New Zealand-bred four-year-old by Keeper, settled in a handy spot in the $80,000 Class 3 race over 1400m, but with Cyborg going up and down on the one spot after he finally found galloping room at the 300m, the race looked to be well in the keeping of the Cliff Brown pair of Hades (Corey Brown) and Intense Gold (Syafiq Hazman).

Viviano (Manoel Nunes, No 4) gets the wood on his rivals in a four-way thriller on Sunday.

Hades, who had led from barrier rise, was digging down deep on the rails to hang on to his slender lead, while Intense Gold seemed to have the better momentum as he came barrelling in like a bat out of hell on the outside.

But Intense Gold somehow peaked on his run, while the distinct possibility of a mammoth upset could materialise in the shape of a most unlikely party-pooper in $830 rank-outsider Above The Skyline (Azhar Ismail) as he came sneaking his way in late.

Current premiership leader Nunes had other ideas, though. The Brazilian jockey, who has endured a more toilsome time at the top this year compared to his previous runaway titles in 2014 and 2015, has neven been hungrier to put some space on the chasing pack, and he probably wanted that win even more.

In his typical hard-riding style, Nunes was able to coax that extra gear from his willing partner, which in the end made the difference. Viviano ($35) staved Above The Skyline off by a neck on the line. Another couple of strides, and it could have been a different story.

Hades had to settle for third another short head away, in advance of his stablemate Intense Gold by an identical margin. The winning time was 1min 22.61secs for the 1400m on the Long Course.

Winning trainer Mark Walker said Viviano was a horse who had always exhibited a certain dose of ability from Day 1, but was just not fully furnished to realise his true potential. From that second win in a row following the last one in a 1200m race in similar Class 3 company a fortnight ago, it would seem the Raffles Racing Stable-owned galloper has finally hit his straps.

“He's a horse who's had a frustrating run of near placings by coming from the back, but he's got a lot stronger now. The owners have been very patient with him,” said the reigning Singapore champion trainer.

“He looks like he will get over more distance as well.”

Currently trailing Alwin Tan by six winners in the Singapore trainer's standings, Walker said the slight loss of steam in recent months was due to a reason that was beyond his control - relocation - and that his fearsome machine should be back firing very soon.

“Things are picking up slowly. I think the move to a temporary stable while our barn is renovated has disrupted the training programme of the horses a little,” he opined.

“We should be back in our stable in August and I think things will improve in August-September.”

Nunes was delighted with the way Viviano never shirked a fight even with so much close attention late in the piece.

“He's a very gutsy horse and is improving all the time,” he said.

“For a while, he looked like he would get beat, but he's such a fighter and he was very, very generous and brave in the last 100 metres.”

With that fifth win, Viviano has now banked more than $160,000 in prizemoney for the Raffles Racing Stable's Dato Yap Kim San.