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Check out Rocket Man. Born in Australia, but raised and train in Singapore. He is Singapore Tao Li equivalent. I think he is arguably the world no.2 horse now. 18 race = 14 wins , 4 seconds wow!!!
From TNP
From TNP
ROCKET MAN'S REMARKABLE RECORD
18 races: 14 wins, 4 seconds
THERE were no blinding flashes from the eager cameras of the awaiting media pack, no bigwig with garland in hand or throngs of adoring fans with placards screaming 'welcome home, champion'.
Instead Singapore's latest sporting superstar returned home from rewriting history in United Arab Emirates to two weeks in quarantine.
Hardly a welcome befitting the champion of one of the world's premier horse races, the US$2 million ($2.5m) Dubai Golden Shaheen.
It's a win which has cemented Rocket Man a place in local racing lore, the first International Group 1 winner in the 169-year history of the sport in Singapore.
The New Paper's racing scribe Brian Miller has gone as far as to suggest the thoroughbred should be more well known in the heartlands 'than swimmer Tao Li or, for that matter, many of our national athletes'.
Rocket Man's allegiances, though, straddle three continents.
Owned by South African Alfredo Crabbia, 59, born and bred in Australia, the four-year-old was trained here and calls the stables at Singapore Turf Club in Kranji home.
But when pressed on which nation can lay claim to the No. 2-ranked sprinter in the world, Rocket Man's trainer, fellow South African Patrick Shaw, 54, said: 'He lives in Singapore, he's Singaporean.
'He's got the biggest following I've experienced in my 10 years of being in Singapore.
'When he runs, a lot of people come just to see him. He belongs to the public now.'
But Singapore's latest sporting darling is not just a local superstar.
Jacci de Tert, 36, the thoroughbred's travelling assistant trainer, explained: 'We arrived in Hong Kong (last December) at 3am and as we were leaving the airport with Rocket Man in a trailer, there was a bunch of photographers, like paparazzi, waiting for us.
'They just kept following us, trying to get one shot through the tiny trailer window. At most, they could get a picture of his nose. It was crazy.
'At that point, I realised how famous and well-liked he is.'
Named after Yves Rossy, who flew across the English Channel in 2008 using a jetpack and earned himself the moniker Rocket Man, the gelding was purchased by Crabbia for just A$100,000 ($130,856) and brought to Singapore in April of that year.
To date, he has already won $1.7m.
And in the 18 races Rocket Man has run, he has never once finished outside the top two, recording 14 wins and four seconds.
Explaining how special Rocket Man is, Shaw: 'He is a once-in-a-lifetime horse, based on that form.
'I've been involved in racing for 22 years and trained Group 1 winners, but I don't think I'll ever find another Rocket Man.'
So how did the South African spot such a gem?
'Nine out of 10 great horses find you, not the other way around. Pedigree is no confirmation of a horse's potential,' proclaimed Shaw.
What does that mean?
Explaining it, his assistant trainer Ricardo Le Grange, 37, said: 'It's a saying we're brought up with (in the racing community). You can spend millions and millions trying to look for that great horse, but it's pointless - it has to find you.
Special
'It's like fate - when they are meant to find you, they will. It's hard to explain but they bring something special to the owner.
'To a certain extent, it's got to do with luck. (Legendary American race horse) Secretariat was bought on a coin toss.'
Pedigree might be deceptive and luck essential in picking a champion race horse, but Shaw is clear on the single attribute which makes a winner - heart.
He said: 'It doesn't matter the size or the pedigree, what matters is the will to win - the heart.
'The way Rocket Man has recovered from a career-threatening injury after the KrisFlyer (International Sprint) last year and has come back even stronger is proof that he has it in abundance. All great horses have it.
'If only we could look inside the horse before we buy,' he added, smiling.
While heart may be the unquantifiable determinant of a champion, Rocket Man has become famous for a more obvious trait.
Explained de Tert: 'He does this thing when he's on the parade ring where he stops and just stares into the horizon.
'He's an observer, he's processing the scenario of the race in his head... psyching himself up for what he needs to do. I know it's strange to call a horse that, but he's a professional.
'It's become a Rocket Man trait. If people see a horse standing and starring into the horizon, they'll know it's Rocket Man.
'He's a bit of a poser also, he knows where the cameras are and he plays to the gallery. He likes it.'
Not that the No. 2-rated sprinter in the racing world is without his quirks.
'He doesn't always like the attention though,' de Tert added.
'He has his idiosyncrasies. He lets you know what frame of mind he's in and he'll let you know, not in an aggressive way, if he wants to be left alone.
'He can be a bit of a loner. He doesn't like socialising with other horses and prefers human company.'
But there is one horse who punters worldwide want to see in the company of Rocket Man on the racing track - the world's top-ranked sprinter Black Caviar.
'We're going to meet sometime,' promised Shaw.
'It's something people want to see. It'll be one of the best races ever, they're two great horses.
'I'd like to call it not the Rumble in the Jungle or the Thrilla in Manila. I'd like to call it the Race for the Ace.
'I think if Don King were involved (in horse racing), he'd be doing it.'
18 races: 14 wins, 4 seconds
THERE were no blinding flashes from the eager cameras of the awaiting media pack, no bigwig with garland in hand or throngs of adoring fans with placards screaming 'welcome home, champion'.
Instead Singapore's latest sporting superstar returned home from rewriting history in United Arab Emirates to two weeks in quarantine.
Hardly a welcome befitting the champion of one of the world's premier horse races, the US$2 million ($2.5m) Dubai Golden Shaheen.
It's a win which has cemented Rocket Man a place in local racing lore, the first International Group 1 winner in the 169-year history of the sport in Singapore.
The New Paper's racing scribe Brian Miller has gone as far as to suggest the thoroughbred should be more well known in the heartlands 'than swimmer Tao Li or, for that matter, many of our national athletes'.
Rocket Man's allegiances, though, straddle three continents.
Owned by South African Alfredo Crabbia, 59, born and bred in Australia, the four-year-old was trained here and calls the stables at Singapore Turf Club in Kranji home.
But when pressed on which nation can lay claim to the No. 2-ranked sprinter in the world, Rocket Man's trainer, fellow South African Patrick Shaw, 54, said: 'He lives in Singapore, he's Singaporean.
'He's got the biggest following I've experienced in my 10 years of being in Singapore.
'When he runs, a lot of people come just to see him. He belongs to the public now.'
But Singapore's latest sporting darling is not just a local superstar.
Jacci de Tert, 36, the thoroughbred's travelling assistant trainer, explained: 'We arrived in Hong Kong (last December) at 3am and as we were leaving the airport with Rocket Man in a trailer, there was a bunch of photographers, like paparazzi, waiting for us.
'They just kept following us, trying to get one shot through the tiny trailer window. At most, they could get a picture of his nose. It was crazy.
'At that point, I realised how famous and well-liked he is.'
Named after Yves Rossy, who flew across the English Channel in 2008 using a jetpack and earned himself the moniker Rocket Man, the gelding was purchased by Crabbia for just A$100,000 ($130,856) and brought to Singapore in April of that year.
To date, he has already won $1.7m.
And in the 18 races Rocket Man has run, he has never once finished outside the top two, recording 14 wins and four seconds.
Explaining how special Rocket Man is, Shaw: 'He is a once-in-a-lifetime horse, based on that form.
'I've been involved in racing for 22 years and trained Group 1 winners, but I don't think I'll ever find another Rocket Man.'
So how did the South African spot such a gem?
'Nine out of 10 great horses find you, not the other way around. Pedigree is no confirmation of a horse's potential,' proclaimed Shaw.
What does that mean?
Explaining it, his assistant trainer Ricardo Le Grange, 37, said: 'It's a saying we're brought up with (in the racing community). You can spend millions and millions trying to look for that great horse, but it's pointless - it has to find you.
Special
'It's like fate - when they are meant to find you, they will. It's hard to explain but they bring something special to the owner.
'To a certain extent, it's got to do with luck. (Legendary American race horse) Secretariat was bought on a coin toss.'
Pedigree might be deceptive and luck essential in picking a champion race horse, but Shaw is clear on the single attribute which makes a winner - heart.
He said: 'It doesn't matter the size or the pedigree, what matters is the will to win - the heart.
'The way Rocket Man has recovered from a career-threatening injury after the KrisFlyer (International Sprint) last year and has come back even stronger is proof that he has it in abundance. All great horses have it.
'If only we could look inside the horse before we buy,' he added, smiling.
While heart may be the unquantifiable determinant of a champion, Rocket Man has become famous for a more obvious trait.
Explained de Tert: 'He does this thing when he's on the parade ring where he stops and just stares into the horizon.
'He's an observer, he's processing the scenario of the race in his head... psyching himself up for what he needs to do. I know it's strange to call a horse that, but he's a professional.
'It's become a Rocket Man trait. If people see a horse standing and starring into the horizon, they'll know it's Rocket Man.
'He's a bit of a poser also, he knows where the cameras are and he plays to the gallery. He likes it.'
Not that the No. 2-rated sprinter in the racing world is without his quirks.
'He doesn't always like the attention though,' de Tert added.
'He has his idiosyncrasies. He lets you know what frame of mind he's in and he'll let you know, not in an aggressive way, if he wants to be left alone.
'He can be a bit of a loner. He doesn't like socialising with other horses and prefers human company.'
But there is one horse who punters worldwide want to see in the company of Rocket Man on the racing track - the world's top-ranked sprinter Black Caviar.
'We're going to meet sometime,' promised Shaw.
'It's something people want to see. It'll be one of the best races ever, they're two great horses.
'I'd like to call it not the Rumble in the Jungle or the Thrilla in Manila. I'd like to call it the Race for the Ace.
'I think if Don King were involved (in horse racing), he'd be doing it.'
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