Henrique gets off to a flying start in Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR - The Simon Dunderdale-trained Hurricane blew his rivals away in the RM53,000 (S$15,900) Class 3 race (1,400m) at Sungai Besi to give jockey Carlos Henrique a winning start to his one-year stint in Malaysia on March 9.
When the 32-year-old rode in Singapore last year, he made a couple of one-day visits to Selangor and won once aboard Antipodean - then trained by Dunderdale - in the New Zealand Bloodstock Three-Year-Old Trophy (1,400m) on July 13, 2024.
Henrique has ridden in Bahrain, Germany, India and Qatar before committing to a long-term stint in Singapore last year where he bagged 15 wins from 87 rides. A winner of four Group 1 races in India and Qatar, Henrique also won the Group 3 Committee's Prize (1,600m) atop the Ricardo Le Grange-trained Bestseller on March 9, 2024.
With the curtains coming down on Singapore racing on Oct 5, 2024, Henrique returned to Brazil to be with his family before riding in Dubai last month.
After finding one to beat on The Shadow and Tennet Tentennet, Henrique got off the mark in style when Hurricane romped in by 4¾ lengths in the main event on March 9.
Trained by Richard Lim, The Shadow lost by a head to Outfit in the RM38,000 Class 5A contest (1,020m) in Race 2.
Later, Henrique fired in a protest in the RM49,000 Class 4A event (1,600m) after eventual winner Pacific Warrior (Laercio de Souza) laid inwards in the straight and caused interference to Tennet Tentennet - who finished 1¼ lengths behind in second - but his objection was dismissed by the stewards.
However, the Brazilian did not have to wait long for his first Malaysian winner this year.
A five-time winner at Kranji, Hurricane ran unplaced in a Class 3 race (1,100m) on Jan 31, but he has benefited greatly from his first run in Kuala Lumpur.
Brilliantly away, the Shamexpress six-year-old quickly led the field of 14. Henrique had him under a tight hold all the way in the back straight but no one else was keen to take the lead.
Trained by Joseph Leck, Italian Revolution (Clyde Leck) joined him passing the 1,000m and they matched strides until the turn into the home straight.
But, the son of Caravaggio soon came under pressure and dropped back. Hurricane, on the other hand, found a clear lead at the 400m.
Daylight (Lim Shung Uai) gave chase on his outside, but Hurricane ($47) let down nicely for a comfortable win.
Misty Swift (Nuqman Rozi) finished strongly to run second ahead of Platinum Priority (Liang Xiaochuan), while Daylight held on for fourth.
The winning time was 1min 23.43sec for the 1,400m on the long course.
Henrique reckoned Hurricane was the best chance for him to get on the board on his first day at the office, and the Buffalo Stable-owned gelding proved him right.
"I thought Hurricane was probably my best ride today," said Henrique, who rode the New Zealand-bred once in Singapore. "I'm happy to ride a winner on my first day back.
"Simon (Dunderdale) gave him (Hurricane) a good workout. He looked very nice.
"He hit the front easily and I just had to wait patiently for the home straight (to come).
"It was his second run in Malaysia and I just wanted to make sure he gets the job done.
"He did well and will win more races for sure.
"I went home to be with my family after racing in Singapore ended, and I spent some time with them till February. I also rode in 12 races in Dubai last month while waiting for my working visa in Malaysia to be approved.
"Simon is supporting me here. I felt like it's time for a new challenge in Malaysia and hopefully, it will be a season filled with winners for me."
Leading trainer Dunderdale had his concerns over the longer trip for Hurricane - who won over 1,000m and 1,200m in Singapore - but was pleased with his soft win in the end.
"We were a bit worried about the distance (1,400m). It was 200m further than what we would have liked," said the New Zealand conditioner.
"I said to Carlos to take a soft lead if he could and it worked to plan. This horse has a promising future."
Formerly trained by Tim Fitzsimmons, Hurricane raced just once over 1,400m in 24 starts in Singapore. He set the pace in that Class 4 race on May 20, 2023, but could only manage fifth.
Comeback jockey John Sundradas also took home his first winner in Kuala Lumpur this year after the Lim-trained Eternal Romance ($25) saluted in the RM38,000 Open Maiden race (1,200m).
Meanwhile, Singaporean handler Jason Ong also enjoyed a fruitful day with his first treble in Malaysia.
The two-time Singapore champion trainer won with Outfit ($10) in Race 2 before punching home a back-to-back double with Cheval Pegasus ($15) and Pacific Warrior ($18) in Race 6 and Race 7 respectively.
SELANGOR TURF CLUB/TURFONLINE
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