3 minute read

The almost perfect clean sheet for Goal Keeper on the poly should be maintained tonight in the feature sprint on the Kranji card.

The seventh race is a S$125K Open 1100m and the Theo Kieser stable have the best two chances in Goal Keeper and Yin Xin.

Would you believe they have drawn the two inside stalls as well to make bettors feel even more confident about this pair of prolific poly performers.

Goal Keeper has an awesome record on the all weather with seven starts for six wins and a second coming under 58kg in Kranji Stakes A behind the proven Speedy Cat (a big chance on Sunday).

The wins by Goal Keeper have come at 1000m up to 1200m and that includes an easy victory at his only 1100m attempt over the talented Red Beard.

The four-year-old by Untouchable only knows one way of running and that is flat out and see what is left standing at the finish.

Just once has he had his net breached and carrying big weights are not a concern plus since rider Danny Beasley has got atop it has all been good news.

His seven rides on the sprinter have yielded four wins and two seconds with last start fresh up being the one miss for the pairing.

However it came on the turf in the G1 Krisflyer won by the class act Caspar Fownes prepared Hong Kong colossus Lucky Nine over a gallant Bel Sprinter and the proud local in Super Easy.

Goal Keeper attacked for the lead early from gate eight then maintained the rage and took over inside the opening 400m before sustaining a torrid clip (the winning time was a slick 1:08.71).

He wilted to seventh beaten seven lengths and I thought the effort in the strongest G1 sprint field held each year in Singapore was a very decent effort.

It is hard to see him beaten tonight at 58kg from gate two as this looks a giant grade drop for just 1kg more to carry and you would take that every time on offer.

The stablemate of Goal Keeper is the well-credentialed Yin Xin that also has a tremendous poly record of seven wins and four placings from twelve starts.

His only miss on the all weather came two starts ago under 59.5kg when on or near the pace working and he finished fourth beaten just over two lengths.

Tonight from the ace this early burner will only have to carry 57kg after a claim and as three-time G3 placed sprinter it looks a luxury.

Only the madness of drag racing his stablemate could bring him undone so do not expect the Kieser duo to match motors for too long.

The other thing about Yin Xin to consider is he has not won since August last year (no wins in last five starts) so hopefully has not forgotten the key requirement of his craft.

At his best he was winning easily over the likes of Mr Big and Perfect Pins so can fly when free in his action and feeling fine.

One other runner in the field has a superb record on the poly and at 53kg we could see the spoiler in Makkura with Barend Vorster to ride.

The speedy mare is now with Laurie Laxon and he has improved her despite that looking impossible when she won five times for John O’Hara (she only missed paying a dividend twice for him).

Makkura has in two runs for Laxon finished a super third under 59.5kg and then last start won under 57kg.

I like the fact she was ridden cold last time and really surged home so does not just have to go flat out from the outset and besides from the outside gate this evening it will help.

She will not get near the Kieser pair early from the two inside gates but with 4kg and 5kg less weight than them can stalk then pounce.

Vorster is always an astute booking in feature sprint races as he knows when it is time to apply some heat with a lighter weighted runner.

Laxon loves playing spoiler and he has a G3 placed mare that is too honest to leave out of your multiples.

Kieser the key to the feature and in Goal Keeper he has the logical winner for those bettors that are only interested in win plunges.

Yin Xin the logical quinella and the stablemates should actually be running one and two to the home turn.

Makkura is thriving for Laxon and at 53kg she is the only one that could play party pooper on the poly over Team Kieser.

Enjoy the poly penalty shoot out.