Eruption is ready to explode

On a bright but hazy morning at Sungai Besi on Oct 14, when just a handful of gallopers went against the clock, it took a quartet from Simon Dunderdale’s stalls to keep the mood upbeat.

On a track rated “good”, Eruption and Artois topped the time sheets when, in separate gallops, they clocked 35.5sec and 37.2sec respectively for the 600m.

Then there were Friend Of Honor and Dreamatic, who also showed flowing action when running the same trip in 41.5sec and 42.6sec respectively.

The Dunderdale camp will be looking to come away with a few winners – especially in Race 10, a Class 2 (1,400m) on the Kuala Lumpur Oct 17 meeting where Eruption and Artois will spearhead the yard’s challenge.

On paper, Eruption stands out. He has won eight from 37 starts, including his first two at Kranji. He shows form figures for his last five runs that read like a good book.

The Xtravagant six-year-old posted his last win when he went all the way in a Class 2 (1,400m) under Bernardo Pinheiro on July 5.

He was then second on July 26 before heading up to Ipoh, where he ran a gallant second to Lucky Magic in the Ipoh Ladies Gold Vase over 1,400m on Aug 23.

Back at the Selangor Turf Club, he then finished a smack-up third to Banker’s Victory in a Class 2 over 1,400m on Sept 13.

But then came his last start in the Group 1 Selangor Gold Cup (1,600m) on Sept 27.

With all the big guns in Malaysia blasting away, Eruption led the field but fizzled out to finish down the course, 21 lengths off the winner Fortune Tree.

He was, however, not disgraced and should come back to fight another day, which may well be Oct 17.

Over the shorter trip and with 200m less to cover, he could be the one the rest will have to catch.

Artois also seems to be in a good place right now.

The Buffalo-owned Capitalist five-year-old scored a three-length win over the 1,200m two starts back on Sept 12.

When stepped up to Class 2 over the same course and distance at his next outing two weeks later, he led again, but faded to beat two home.

While a question mark hangs over his ability to control things in Class 2 company, he will run an honest race.

After Dreamatic won a 1,000m trial in a super smart time of 59.23sec on Aug 26, he was fifth on debut in a Restricted Maiden race over the 1,200m on Sept 13.

The Hanseatic three-year-old showed vast improvement at his second outing in a similar event on Oct 4, finishing third to Navarre Crown.

He meets some nippy ones like Rich Merchant and Peaky Empire in Race 9, the Community Circuit Race over 1,250m, but his work on Oct 14 was a powerful statement of intent.

Friend Of Honor knows what it takes to win races. To date, the six-year-old by Stratum Star has done so three times from 28 starts at Sungai Besi.

It should have been more but, on five occasions, he had to settle for second best.

He will see action in Race 4, a sprint over the 1,100m, which should be right up his alley. All his three wins were recorded between 1,150m and 1,275m.

Dropping from Class 4 to Class 3, he could prove a tough one to catch.