TRAINER Patrick Fong was all glee on Saturday when his three-year-old chestnut gelding, One Soo True, defeated first time runner Raw Liquid, by a length to shed the maiden tag the fourth time of asking competing in a native-bred three-year-old maiden condition dash over 1,000 metres at Caymanas Park on Saturday, February 2, 2019.

The female apprentice who replaced two-time champion jockey Shane Ellis sent One Soo True in chase of the leader Roy Rogers with jockey Robert Halledeen in the irons and gained the ascendancy inside the 250 metres marker before going on to win from the fast finishing Raw Liquid ridden by Dane Nelson on the outside. One Soo True completed the 1,000-metre distance in a time of 1:01.2 chasing fractions of 23.1, 47.0.

It was the colt’s fourth competitive start with Fletcher guiding him in the frame for the third time with second and fourth place finishes before this win.

Two first timers Raw Liquid (Dane Nelson) and Soul Cure (Dane Dawkins) finished second and third respectively.

The happy trainer declared: “I am very satisfied with this victory because he ( One Soo True) disappointed out of the straight the last time out as I expected him to run much better. But I knew something must have gone wrong. I therefore went back to the drawing board, got the anomaly sorted out and he came up trumps with the adjustment. Shane Ellis rode on that occasion. However, for this ride, I called to the saddle the female apprentice Samantha Fletcher who has been working him from he was a baby and has also been working a number of my horses to my satisfaction, so she was given the ride as I am aware that she has the ability to get the job done and it leaves me well satisfied with the final result as she rode the race to perfection by following my instructions.”

One Soo True is by Perfect Lady a daughter Deputy Report, so what do you expect now?

“Well he certainly is not and-out-and-out sprinter, he is shaping more as a middle- distance runner, who with the right field, will win between five furlongs and a mile.

“Nonetheless, it is early days yet to form a prediction and we will just have to wait and see how he develops with time. We live in hope and expectation and, maybe he will go farther, who is to tell. He does show that he has some ability but I don’t think that he is a sprinter,” trainer Fong advanced.