3 minute read
Rapido Star is the youngest player by far to take the poly pitch today at Kranji for the feature event, the S$95K Benchmark 83 over 1000m, with Good Striker his most dangerous scoresheet threat and therefore headline stealer.
The field for Race Nine may only number nine in total but it really does showcase that the sprinting depth and future in Singapore is of a premiership level.
Five of the nine runners are either three or four-year-olds and the one to beat is the baby of the field drawn wide in the Northern Hemisphere bred American colt Rapido Star.
Douglas Dragon trains the colt and Joao Moreira will ride, with the wide gate not really a problem.
Moreira has won twice on Rapido Star and came from gates eight and twelve, while the last start second by the colt in a 1200m Progress event saw it jump from seven and carry 54.5kg.
Rapido Star is effective on both the poly and strathayr pitch and can force the pace or stalk it deep and maintain a tremendous cadence.
He has the outside gate today and incredibly will be tackling the 1000m for the first time, as he has in a brief career to date tackled 1100m to 1400m.
I see the colt as built for the shortest trip they run at Kranji and he is in fact unbeaten in all trials, which of course are always 1000m on the poly.
Rapido Star is five from five over 1000m at the trials and the pilot each time was Moreira and he knows full well just how good his mount is.
The only time on raceday/night that Moreira has not been atop saw Rapido Star win a Progress 1100m for Saifudin Ismail by five lengths and utterly demolish his rivals to clock 1:05.43.
That win was a career high rating performance so far for Rapido Star but his resumption run after a freshen up from competing at G2 behind Gingerbread Man showed new figures will be recorded sooner rather than later.
His last start second to the very smart Excavator was a tremendous effort, as it was he that won the race for the victor by attacking the hotpot Ato in front across the top and forcing a torrid sectional.
Ato is very good and since has raced twice for two wins, with utter domination over Benchmark 83 then Benchmark 89 opposition.
Excavator has since finished a monumental fourth behind the smart Argy Bargy, while the third finisher Polar Esprit has finished second twice since and the latter effort was big after sitting wide throughout and going down a lip.
Rapido Star form is strong form and trustable, with the colt since showing he had got over that last start brave second considering the midrace attack pressure he applied to the home turn.
His trial win last week was as usual good and the third finisher in that heat is his biggest danger today in Good Striker, which is trained by Michael Clements.
Good Striker likes to lead or force the issue too and he has come back a much stronger sprinter this year.
He looks a big chance to score at 51kg in this Benchmark 83 today from barrier four, after his last start game third in Benchmark 89 company over 1000m behind the dominant Dictator and fast finisher Fast Break.
Dictator since has come out and handsomely won an open sprint that was a serious line up, while Fast Break has next start flown home for second in Class Three behind the speedy Moonlite Shower.
This is serious poly sprinting form and consider at the previous start Good Striker won a Class Three over 1000m on the poly by a decent margin and clocked 58.73, which would easily be swift enough to score today.
V Sivan retains the ride on Good Striker, after being aboard for a last start third, while the winning rider from the previous start Barend Vorster stays with the Pat Shaw trained My Son today.
My Son will be an improver on his fresh up seventh to Moonlite Shower and has drawn the ace today plus he has won second up and at 54.5kg does look well weighted.
Powerful Tree resumes here and is another sharp sprinter, with an already decent record of six wins and three placings from eleven starts in Singapore.
The four-year-old is unbeaten fresh up and is another natural leader / on pacer in the field today.
He has trialled up twice in readiness, with the latter win coming over a fit and in form juvenile called Kaiser.
A 1kg claim by rider Mark Ewe will see Powerful Tree carry 57kg and weight has never worried this sprinter, with a deadheat for first two starts back seeing him carry 59.5kg.
He deadheated in that race with Viva Panata, a rival again today, which should be ready to show some form again third up having drawn the ace with a full 4kg claim.
Viva Panata is yet to finish out of the money third up and his ace draw could see him get the ideal trip behind a plethora of pacemakers and on pacers.
I should point out that after the claims Viva Panata will carry 2kg less than Powerful Tree and when they deadheated the latter carried 3kg more.
To show you just how the weight does affect this two, the last start third by Powerful Tree saw it carry 4kg more than the winner Viva Panata, so I expect the 2kg gap today to ensure a tight contest.
Imagery has come from the Queensland stable of Liam Birchley and will resume here for Michael Freedman, who has a penchant for sprinters and is now also getting good results with his juvenile burners too.
The four-year-old gelding looked as bright as a button in his lone trial since coming to Singapore, which resulted in a distant third to Better Than Ever.
Danny Beasley rode the strong closer in the trial and will pilot the gelding today, which may find the 1000m a fraction short but the Freedman runners do perform best fresh up, so do not overlook.
Imagery also goes super fresh up and his race record of nine starts for four wins and as many placings, with his lone miss at paying a dividend being a last start close up fourth.
Enjoy the dash for some serious cash.