Kota Kinabalu: Brilliant One overcame a humble start to emerge as champion in the Royal Sabah Turf Club (RSTC) Gold Cup, recently.
With Md Sairee as the jockey, Brilliant One staged a remarkable comeback in the last 100m of the 1900m race on turf track to edge Smart Lad to the title.
The dramatic scene just before the finish line saw Brilliant One produced a sudden burst of speed to catch up with Smart Lad and won it by a neck.
Smart Lad was followed by Blarney Blink in third place. KeepItUp, Classic Head and Evil Wesley settled for fourth to sixth placing.
Panglima Berantai, the defending champion from 2019, finished last despite making a great start in the star-studded race with rating from 67 to 100 before being overtaken after the 900m mark.
In all, 13 top-of-the-tops horses where some came with title-winning credentials were involved in the RSTC Gold Cup, which made its return after a three-year long hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic at the Tambalang race course in Tuaran.
Brilliant One from Elite Star Stable took home RM30,000 in prize money, Cup, plaque as well as various hampers and gifts for both trainer and jockey.
RSTC chairman Datuk Peter Chin presented the prizes.
“This wraps up the grand finale of the year 2022 in Tambalang with plenty more actions to be expected next year,” said Peter.
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