Samlalsingh: ‘We will win again’

JOINT owner Merlin Samlalsingh sounded a warning yesterday, after leading in his second Royal Oak Derby winner on the trot. Samlalsingh made it known, “we will do it again.” The affable racehorse owner and partner Rupert Leong Poi, led in last year’s triple crown champion Top Of The Class. And yesterday, after Mucho Tempo landed the 73rd renewal of the $250,000 Royal Oak Derby Samlalsingh said: “We are making it a habit...it is a good habit.  We will do it again next year.”

Leong Poin offered: “Two years in a row.  It’s fantastic.  We will like to do it a third time.” One year ago at a function to honour Top Of The Class at Colonial Life Insurance Company headquarters, St Vincent Street, Samlalsingh told all who would listen that he would win the 2004 Royal Oak Derby. And yesterday he was spot on with his prediction. Winning jockey Ricardo Jadoo who was also astride Top Of The Class, could hardly describe yesterday’s success. All he ventured was: “I had to do some riding in the back stretch.  I got an opening in the straight and I went for it.” It was a first time Royal Oak Derby victory for trainer Harriram “Pepsi” Gobin. Meanwhile, it was announced that for the day’s 10-race programme, the handle was $1.6 million, which compared very favourably with last year’s turnover of $1.65 million for 11 races.