SOLID EIGHTY-THREE LOOKS GOOD

Noah Khan and Arthur Pegasus were also impressive during Nov 12 trackwork in KL

- Brian Miller

For a long while there, it looked bleak for Solid Eighty-Three and his connections.

After a sterling 2023 which saw him put together four wins, the tap suddenly went dry.

The current season looked anything but sterling.

Indeed, it was bleak.

Solid Eighty-Three seemed to have lost it – and it was not for a lack of trying.

Ananthen Kuppan, who in June 2024, took over training duties from Richard Lines, knew he had inherited a good horse.

It was just a matter of waking him up from his slumber.

So he raced him and sent him to the trials.

The last of the latter was on Aug 6 where Solid Eighty-Three ran a smack-up second to Royal Flush.

He seemed ready and all dressed up for his seventh career victory.

But it was not to be.

The five race starts following that trial produced a second, two thirds and a fourth.

Not bad. There was money in the kitty.

But where was the win?

Well, it had to come and it did. On Nov 2, in a 1,500m race at Sungai Besi, Solid Eighty-Three turned in – well – a solid show, leading all the way to bring it home for Ananthen and the Sarkar Golden Stable.

Well, it might not end there.