3 minute read
While the winner's stall has eluded him in recent efforts the Laurie Laxon trained Huka Falls appears set to bounce back to winning form on Sunday when stepping out in the RDA Cup on SIngapore's poly track
Stepping out for his eighteenth career start the son of Align is proven to be racing in career best form of late and was somewhat unfortunate to not come away with the win last time out when only collared late in the piece.
Having been forced to do all the work early when pushed forward to lead he showed great resilience when beating off rivals Goal Keeper and Mr Big only to be left a sitting duck for the swooping Boundless Glory.
Beaten by the barest of margins his performance had plenty of merit as it was clear the early work in the race had taken its toll when he was just unable to hold on.
Successful in holding his form from his previous effort behind Davide, Huka Falls is now proven to be racing in career best form with his latest performances rated just one pound shy of his career peak.
Under the handicap conditions on Sunday he does meet Boundless Glory worse off at the weights following his last start defeat however there is still a question mark over the latter's performance given it was such a stark increase in his previous best.
While it's not to say Boundless Glory won't repeat that level of performance again however it is unlikely given his latest performance has been rated 11 pounds clear of his previous best and have to question how much that performance has taken out of him given his coming to the end of a long campaign.
On Timeform weight adjusted ratings Huka Falls sits marginally ahead of Trudeau, El Milagro and Petrenui with the return to the polytrack appearing the greatest push for his chances.
In 10 attempts on the synthetic surface Huka Falls has impressively saluted the judge on seven occasions and has only missed the money once which came when finishing fourth behind Speedy Cat in the Group 3 Merlion Trophy.
In 12 attempts over six furlongs he has saluted the judge on six occasions including three minor placings, further pushing his claims on Sunday.
Drawn ideally on the rails Harry Kasim will look to find the front on the four-year-old with the Leticia Dragon trained Rapido Star and the Brian Dean trained Petrenui also expected to be not far away.
The Mok trained Pioneer Seven is also renowned for racing up on the speed and given the good early speed he showed in his recent trial win, he also shapes as one of the likely leaders in this race.
Proven to race at his best when racing out in front Huka Falls is expected to lead on Sunday and while he does line up against a few speedy types, they are yet to record quicker opening sectionals which suggests he should have little problems finding the front.
Coming into his last start off a seven week freshen up, Huka Falls is expected to strip fitter for Sunday which should be evident in his racing weight, which was four kilograms higher than his average last start.
If able to hold his form or in fact improve further on Sunday he should prove very hard to beat and notch up a well overdue win.
The Bruce Marsh trained Trudeau has been racing in fantastic form this time in having shown stark improvement when saluting first up in the Group 3 Garden City Trophy.
Going on to notch up back to back victories in the Group 2 Barker Trophy he is arguably one of the form horses racing in Singapore at this point in time, so much so that if he is hold his form on Sunday then he is expected to take a power of beating.
More notably the improvement Trudeau has shown this time in has been unbelievable improving close to 30 pounds on his previous best.
Having clearly turned the corner since his gelding operation the former Australian based galloper has proven a revelation this time in and the hat-trick appears to be well within his reach.
The Shane Baertschiger trained El Milagro is proven to race well fresh and with connections hoping to set him for next year's Group 1 Lion City Cup he is expected to have improved further off a break.
Another polytrack specialist who has placed in seven of his eight attempts the son of Red Dazzler has trialled nicely in the lead up with this being his only likely run before being tipped out in preparation for next year's feature races.
Expected to roll forward from the wide draw he shouldn't be too far off Huka Falls upon settling and be in it for a long way upon straightening.
The progressive Pioneer Seven faces his toughest test to date on Sunday however he finished his latest campaign in fantastic order and appears to have the scope to make his presence felt on Sunday.
Saluting the judge at his last four starts prior to a spell he is clearly a horse on an upward spiral and with expected improvement off a break he shapes as a solid winning hope down in the weights.
Good luck and happy punting.