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A rematch and this time on the poly surface plus that crucial switch of rider has all the makings of star wars between thoroughbred combatants tonight.
The feature event on the card tonight is R8 D2 or Race Eight and Duel Two.
It sees Empire Bay and Affirmation go head-to-head for the second time after they rumbled on the turf over September of last year.
This pair will fight for honour and victory in a S$75K Class Three over 1200m and it pits a master against a rookie, with Joao Moreira atop Empire Bay and Willy Tan on Affirmation.
The only other time this pair did battle it saw Affirmation blow them away the closing stages on the turf in a Class Four and Empire Bay finished a game third, after being set alight in the lead.
Moreira rode Affirmation that day and tonight will pilot Empire Bay, so bettors already know with Joao that the force is with them.
The apprentice on Empire Bay, when third to Affirmation, was Tengku Rehaizat who claimed 3kg and it saw his mount carry 1kg less than the winner.
This evening with a 3kg claim from Tan we see Affirmation all up will have 3.5kg less than Empire Bay or a 4.5kg swing from their only clash to date.
Normally that would be a winning swing as Affirmation beat the three-year-old Empire Bay when carrying more so with substantially less it should a case of shut the gate as the galloping galactic battle is over.
However when Moreira is concerned he is the Yoda of Kranji knowledge and after winning a poly trial atop Empire Bay last month his selection was set in stone.
He has ridden the Michael Freedman trained gelding before and you guessed it, once atop for one win.
The all the way victory came under 51.5kg (the weight he has tonight) and was clear cut without the persuader (lightsabre) having to be used very much at all.
Empire Bay has drawn the ace this evening and has only ever drawn that gate once before with the outcome a resounding six and a half length romp.
A lone start on the poly came at debut when fourth in an Open event for juveniles and after disputing the pace he boxed on when headed the closing furlong.
The only time he has finished outside the first four lifetime came at G3 and he has furnished further since his last start win in November.
Affirmation from gate two will get the drop on his main rival as long as the beginning is clean.
He has won five races since coming to Singapore and two in New Zealand prior plus is part of the very much in form yard of Mark Walker.
The gelded son of super sire Fastnet Rock seems to have come solid in recent months with the now six-year-old in his last five starts recording three wins and two placings.
Turf is definitely the patch he fights best upon as six of his career successes have come on the grass or strathayr.
However this maturity shown last year has also seen in his last three poly outings a win, a placing and a fourth be recorded.
Tan has placed three times on the sprinter in six rides and it will take a perfect tactical outing to topple the great Brazilian.
There is no shortage of early burners in the field tonight and this will be no place for the faint of heart.
The two characters that could make an appearance in the photo finish and each has a name that sounds like they would fit right into the galaxy are Bombaata and Funca.
Bombaata at his best would be a serious chance but health issues have been his nemesis though he hinted last start on the all weather with a solid fourth that there is hope.
Greg Cheyne may have figured this very strongly built sprinter out and bombing this lot late could well be the plan.
Funca fresh up will go better than he has shown since coming to Singapore and Barend Vorster atop a resuming Pat Shaw runner is always a good sign.
This gelding has had the misfortune to run into winners each time that already had or now have very sound records, so he never ran in a soft race at all.
Names like Dr Grigoros, What Now, Dark Matter and Red Beard won races he ran in then of course his last two outings saw the victors as Deep Pockets (triple G1 placegetter) and the wonder mare Better Life (dual G1 winner).
Shaw has trialled Funca twice in preparation to resume and the gelding did have a health problem the last time he raced so must have been given the all clear.
Class three on the poly from an ideal barrier and at 52.5kg gives him an upset chance.
Impossible to go past the Jedi Knight jockey of Kranji in Joao Moreira atop Empire Bay as he is a master race reader and always has more than one plan before going to poly war.
Affirmation will play spoiler again for bettors that can only see a Moreira win and is the Darth Vader almost in a tense closing episode.
The couple that could provide an upset of immense proportions in a Chewbacca-like mould would be Bombaata and Funca.
May the force be with bettors tonight in the feature event.
