Apollo Sixty-One displayed strong form during trials at Sungai Besi on October 20, suggesting readiness for a successful debut in the Open Maiden sprint scheduled for October 24. The five-year-old Brazen Beau colt, ridden by Oscar Chavez, dominated the eight-horse field on a yielding track, clocking 59.45 seconds over 1,000 meters while wearing blinkers. Although Big Union, piloted by Azizi Azhari, finished just a short head behind, Apollo Sixty-One maintained clear control throughout the trial.
Trainer Jason Lim initially introduced Apollo Sixty-One to the trials on October 6, when the horse finished second by half a length to Rapid Strike, who recorded a time of 59.71 seconds. Big Union, a six-year-old Zoustar trained by Jerome Tan, is also coming off a strong performance, having finished second to Fortune Tree in the Magic Millions Trophy (1,200m) on September 13. Despite being hindered mid-race by the stumbling Emerald Lisi, Big Union appears poised to rebound and seek a seventh career win.
Little Star, who placed third in the trial with Lim Weng Hooi aboard, closely shadowed Apollo Sixty-One during much of the run. Formerly known as Nick Time in New Zealand, this five-year-old Time Test gelding has victories over a mile and is expected to gain from this outing as he prepares for his debut in the local circuit.
In a separate trial, Storm To Finish delivered a commanding performance, winning by nearly 10 lengths over He’s My Halo. The Anders four-year-old, trained by Ricky Choi and ridden by Benny Woodworth, completed the 1,000 meters in 59.85 seconds without being fully challenged. Storm To Finish has three wins from nine starts and was considered a possible winner in his last race before encountering traffic problems out of the gate, ultimately finishing third. Following that race, he underwent a veterinary examination due to respiratory distress but has since cleared the health check and is now likely to return to competition poised for victory.
These trials provide a key gauge ahead of the upcoming racing events, highlighting several horses that may impact the sprint division in the near term.