OCTOBER MUCH TOO GOOD FOR CLASS 5

Not all that disgraced at Group level, trainer Ong’s 4YO explodes away in easier mission

- Michael Lee

Form students who looked past October's unappealing 8-6-8-0-5 last-five-runs record and dug a little deeper instead, collected the cash on Aug 4.

The skinny $11 dividend would not make many rich, but it also proved that Singapore racegoers were not mug punters, and more data-savvy than they are given credit for.

It is admittedly easy to look with the benefit of hindsight, but if you are not one to just scratch the surface, the Ocean Park four-year-old actually stood out on formline.

A previous one-time winner at Restricted Maiden level when prepared by ex-Kranji trainer Stephen Gray, October returned lame at the first of these unplaced starts.

At the next couple, he contested the last two three-year-old features, the Group 2 Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic over 1,400m (sixth) and Group 2 Singapore Guineas over 1,600m (eighth).

Champion trainer Jason Ong then dropped him back to a Class 4 event, but he was a goner when trapped deep throughout.

At his last start, he settled too far back, but did run a closing fifth to the promising Boardroom.