The Sun Stud colours of wealthy Macau owner Cheng Ting Kong of Sun Bloodstock
Racing Stable are regularly seen winning big Australian races with horses such
as Palentino in the 2016 Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes and more recently Thronum
in the 2018 Group 2 Australia Stakes, but this was their first major win in
Singapore.Sun Marshal scored a neck win for Joe Azzpopardi taking his overall record to five wins from 16 starts.
"This is my 12thDerby, it just feels like another Derby, to be honest, but I don't think the other Derbies were worth a million," said an elated Lee Freedman.
"I'm so rapt Mr Clint (runner-up)finished second-best."
Previously trained by Sydney's premier trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott when known as Han Xin, Sun Marshal had in six local starts stamped himself as a dependable middle-distance performer with two wins (1600m and 2000m) and three placings for Freedman.
In Australia where he raced nine times, spread across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane for two wins (1600m and 2000m), Sun Marshal was labelled as an honest staying type who quickly earned a shot at 'black type' races in that genre, albeit without winning. He did finish second in the Group 3 Grand Prix (2200m) at Doomben last year, and interestingly, his last Australian run was an eighth in the Group 1 Queensland Derby (2200m) in June 2018, just under five lengths off the winner Dark Dream.
"I thought his form was solid when he came to me. He ran second in the (Group 3) Grand Prix (2200m at Doomben in 2018), and ran very well first-up," said Freedman.
"He improved after I gave him a month's break. He was very fit, but I didn't know how he would handle the ground today.
"But I have to say a lot of the horses' chances were ruined by the ground, and
some of them improved on it."I've always had a lot of time for Joe (Azzopardi) and I told him this horse would be his Derby horse. He's done all the work on him.
"I'm glad for Mr Cheng, and I know Gai would be happy for me, too."
Sun Marshal was bred by Evergreen Rich and was a $200,000 Magic Millions purchase for Sun Bloodstock from the Element Hill draft. He is the best of four winners from Mysterious Light, a half-sister by Fantastic Light (USA) to stakes-placed Emotional Circus and Twirl from the family of champion sire Fastnet Rock.
Mysterious Light has a weanling filly by Sizzling and was covered last year by Sebring.
He is the 13th stakes-winner for Darley's Golden Slipper winner Sepoy, who stands at Darley Victoria this spring at a fee of $11,000.
