ONG KICKS HAT-TRICK OF GOALS AT KRANJI

Odds S'pore champion trainer will retain title slashed further after another big haul

- Michael Lee

Jason Ong was without a runner in the June 30 highlight, the Group 2 Stewards' Cup (1,600m), but the Singapore champion trainer still lit up the undercard with a hat-trick of wins.

Lucky Goal (Race 2), Great Warrior (Race 4) and The Wild Fire (Race 5) gave him the outright training honours to cement his commanding lead on 52 wins.

The yawning gap has now stretched to 21 wins over Daniel Meagher, who hit one back with Lim's Saltoro in the day's feature.

While Ong is odds-on to retain his title with only 14 meetings left before Kranji racing bows out for good on Oct 5, the Singaporean was still stoked with another good day at the office, especially the first two pins of the treble.

Unlike The Wild Fire ($15) who was chalking up his fifth win, but his first since a name change from Song Of Nature, Lucky Goal ($12) and Great Warrior ($36) were on their baptisms of fire.

Often denied by bad luck or better rivals, both horses had been testing Ong's patience, which was finally rewarded, helped in no small measure by Manoel Nunes.

After a flying start from an awkward alley (nine) as rain descended on the $20,000 Open Maiden (1,200m), Lucky Goal absorbed the mid-race pressure from Lim's Faber (Marc Lerner) and He's My Halo (Bernardo Pinheiro) in the lead before booting clear at the 300m.