Cheng, Shafiq seeking good Fortune in S’pore Pools Trophy again

Come Coronation Cup day in Ipoh on Nov 15, it could be a case of “best of both worlds” for both racing fans, trainer Cheng Han Yong and jockey Shafiq Rizuan.

For fans, not only does the highlight RM250,000 (S$78,700) Group 1 feature run over 1,600m will have them flocking to the Perak Turf Club, the RM100,000 Singapore Pools trophy – held one race earlier – has also attracted a quality field of eight not to be missed.

The Singapore gaming outfit has lent its name to the Metro A contest (1,200m) – the second feature event at the 12-race meeting – for the third time at one of Ipoh’s biggest meeting since 2024 and 2025.

And coincidentally, trainer Cheng Han Yong and jockey Shafiq Rizuan had been on their past roll of honours, albeit in different years.

Cheng bagged the Pools Trophy on Nov 3, 2024 when Shang Chi saluted under Andre da Silva while Shafiq captured the 2025 edition aboard the Wayne Lim-trained Secret Wonder on Nov 16 last year.

This time, the trainer-jockey combination will join forces with smart sprinter Fortune Rising in their bid to land the spoils again.

A five-year-old by Alabama Express, Fortune Rising is the likely favourite after he strolled home under Shafiq for an easy 1¼-length win in the Class 1 race (1,200m) at Sungai Besi on Oct 24 last time.

Before that, he was narrowly beaten a head by Banker’s First – who lines up in the Coronation Cup – in the Listed Charity Cup (1,200m) at his only run in Ipoh on Sept 20.

On paper, the Lee Swee Eng-owned 100-point rater should comfortably add another win to his handy record of five wins and two seconds from seven starts.

And should Fortune Rising prevail in the Pools Trophy, Cheng and Shafiq would be banking on Triple Crown chaser Fortune Tree to hand them back-to-back victories in the Coronation Cup which would cap the day for them.

Also owned by Lee, the in-form Ardrossan five-year-old – who is set to contest the final leg of the Triple Crown series in the Group 1 Piala Emas Sultan Selangor (2,000m) at Sungai Besi on Dec 6 after taking the first two legs – is aiming for four in a row.

While Cheng and Shafiq may fancy their chances of a double, success will not be handed to them on a silver platter, especially not in the highly competitive Pools Trophy.

The potential danger could come from Banker’ssweetheart and Navarre.

Trained by Johnny Lim Boon Thong, Banker’ssweetheart might have only won two from 11 starts in Malaysia, but both wins came at her only two runs in Ipoh.

The daughter of Safeguard scored an authoritative six-length victory in the Combined Class 2 and 3 race (1,200m) at her last start on Oct 18, after her previous all-the-way success in the Mitavite Asia Cup – a Cosmo C event – (1,100m) on June 13, suggesting the Ipoh turf could be to her liking.

The six-year-old mare will again be ridden by Johari Kamaruddin, who won on her both times.

Navarre is not one to be dismissed, even if he finished third last to Fortune Rising in the Class 1 race (1,200m) on Oct 24.

Then with jockey Wong Chin Chuen up, the Simon Dunderdale-trained five-year-old was forced to race wide throughout after breaking from gate 11, and had nothing left in the tank in the straight.

But the Written Tycoon gelding did win his two previous Class 2 sprint races at Sungai Besi on Sept 12 and 26 with Wong aboard, so he should threaten if he reproduces those runs.