Blinkers coupled with a drop to Polytrack sprints has been shaping up as the winning recipe for Special Ops following another resounding success that came in the $50,000 Class 4 Division 2 race over the Polytrack 1200m on Saturday.
It was the second victory in four starts in similar events, with a place on board for the other two, since trainer Jason Ong plotted such a path for the Reset five-year-old owned by his father Mr Ong Boon Hin.
The Reset five-year-old was originally groomed as a miler – just like his sire - vindicating Ong with two back-to-back wins in turf mile races less than a year ago.
Emboldened, the young Singaporean handler pushed the envelope further to 1800m and even 2000m. While he didn't win, those first dips in that water held some promise, but his form soon tapered off when pressed on along that miler profile in the first half of the 2021 campaign.
On jockey Danny Beasley's good counsel, Ong made the distance and headgear switch in August, and the results have been instantaneous, though he is still persuaded Special Ops is not without a future over more ground.
"From Day 1, we knew this horse had some sort of ability. When he first came, he struck me as a horse that needed a bit of ground," said Ong.
"When Dan told me to put blinkers after one run this year, he became so sharp, and ran very well over shorter trips.
"But at some stage, I think he can go over further again. I'll look at the programme, the distance he can handle will depend on the races available.
"I'm still learning about this horse. The good thing is he's progressive and versatile.
"And today, Dan is such an experienced jockey I don't have to tell him how to ride the horse. He also galloped him this week.
"I don't know what it is, but Dan has had a lot of luck with Warplan Racing since War Affair. I just leave it to him."
From barrier one, Beasley didn't need to be tied down to any instructions. As expected, Special Ops rode the rails in midfield and when he was peeled wide for his run, the rest was a foregone conclusion.
First Bowl (Matthew Kellady) drew first blood when he claimed the weakening Longhu (Mohd Zaki) into the home straight, but he was left standing when Special Ops shot through with a blinding turn of foot.
The winning margin was one and a half lengths with Qaraat (Krisna Thangamani) rocketing home late for third place another length away. The winning time was 1min 11.09secs for the Polytrack 1200m.
Special Ops has now taken his smart record to four wins and eight placings for stakes money close to $185,000 for the Special Ops Stable, an offshoot of the Warplan Racing Stable.
