3 minute read
The ninth race tonight is the feature sprint on the polytrack over 1000m and is notable for the amount of runners with very similar coloured silks.
Spare a thought for whoever is doing the commentary because in the S$75K Open Benchmark 74 over 1000m the colour and style similarity between many pairs of runners is plentiful.
There is even a glut of cap colouring clashes so the big binoculars will have to be drawn from their hallowed case tonight.
Two of the top three chances in the race have near identical silks bar a star versus a cross and some stars on the sleeves.
Dragon Spirit is a massive chance but his silks at speed are very similar to Irish Lightning and the famed Rocket Man colours of Fred Crabbia.
The three-year-old runners in the 1000m dash for cash this evening do look major players and in the Theo Kieser trained Dragon Spirit you have form that is simply irresistible.
He has never finished further back than fifth and both his wins to date have come on the poly.
The draw of nine here is the only query but with Danny Beasley aboard that is solved through experience and riding nous.
Last start he rode from gate eleven and sat three-wide on the speed relaxed before striding clear, albeit in Class Four, under 56kg and clocking 58.76 for an impressive win.
I cannot see the class rise tonight lessening his chances and at 54kg you have an in form speedy type that naturally takes bad luck and striking traffic out of the equation.
In doing the form you immediately notice with this gelded son of Due Sasso that he has run into some decent sorts so far and even better has finished second to them every time.
Names like Indicio and Winontop are notable but if you look at two and three starts ago he finished runner up to the smart Birthday Gift and the freakish Shuttle Man.
Irish Lightning is a 1000m burner and loves the poly so from a good draw will be in the action from the outset.
He is weighted at 50kg on the minimum and if Jumaat Saimee can get down that light we have a chance for your multiples that will not be getting stuck in traffic.
Saimee is an astute choice by the Pat Shaw stable with their number one gun Barend Vorster suspended because he has won on the flyer before.
The three-year-old has won two races and he has been aboard once for a win, so can lightning strike twice?
Nine starts specifically over 1000m have returned two wins and five placings plus a fourth and his worst effort that last start sixth.
I think you can forgive him that as not much went his way early and in the running for a speedster that likes clear air rather than being cluttered up between runners.
The clash of red and black coloured silks between he and Dragon Spirit could make for look-twice television and especially with both being leaders or on pacers.
Interestingly when Saimee won aboard Irish Lightning it beat Danzig Rocket (a rival again tonight) and the as mentioned prior smart Birthday Gift.
The notable aspect is Danzig Rocket had 3kg less and was a length and a half behind plus that same horse beat Irish Lightning three starts ago with 2.5kg less.
There is not much between them on paper but tonight Irish Lightning will get 4.5kg from him at worst and that is some swing.
After the clash of red and black, we see a surfeit of orange and similar shades and here we find a serious chance in Eatons Gold, another three-year-old.
Joao Moreira gets aboard or the first time and that is code for bettors to get on themselves by the bucketful because nobody nails them better than he at the first time atop.
The addition of blinkers by trainer Mark Walker is pivotal as Eatons Gold has a few tricks in the running and not the least at the start.
He is in fact returning from a ban of two weeks then had to pass two consecutive starting stall tests for stewards.
The motor is there for this gelded son of Jet Spur and his form shows it with an easy poly win over Lightning Thief (4 wins since) standing out.
Last start he was a distant fourth to Masthead and before that seventh to Speedy Cat and either of those would be $1.05 in the field tonight, so Eatons Gold has strong appeal drawn gate two.
A quirk of the gelding is his two wins have come from wide draws (gates ten and eleven) but I suspect that is more to do with the fractious nature of him and waywardness at times.
On the names that must be included for being class droppers or simply proven all weather performers obviously Danzig Rocket but also include into that category Palombaro and Be A Man.
Palombaro last won four runs ago and Opie Bosson rode, so with him back aboard tonight you need to include plus the Bruce Marsh trained horse will revel in the grade drop.
Last start he tried to rumble with Mr Big and company in a Restricted Open handicap and as many do came out with a large defeat.
Be A Man last start ran okay in a Kranji Stakes C event under 56.5kg from a wide draw and he looks worth including here for mine at 54.5kg after a claim drawn handy.
Two starts ago he dropped back to Class Four and not surprisingly sat deep for the same apprentice as aboard here and won well under 56kg.
He seems to race well for the claimer and the Shane Baertschiger stable is standing tall at the moment not that height is ever an issue!
The blowout if you like longer odds runners would be Recycle World third up from a spell as he has struck before in such a state.
Stephen Gray trains and in the first three starts this gelding looked special in 2010, with a debut win over Gingerbread Man (yes that same since big winner and earner), a close second and another win beating Smitten Kitten.
Health problems and bad luck then arose and the son of Shinko King did not reappear until March this year and he has gone two eyecatchers on the poly.
The fresh up sixth in a stronger field than he meets this evening was useful and then last start for the 4kg claiming apprentice, again atop tonight, the effort had next upper written all over it.
Two wide draws have not helped his comeback but gate one here and 50kg will.
Enjoy the race and concentrate hard on all the red, black and orange silks clashing in the contest.
