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Kiwi trainer Mark Walker is under no illusions Elite Invincible has the job ahead in Sunday’s $500,000 Group 2 Chairman’s Trophy even with the rise in distance to a more suitable mile.

The 2018 Group 1 Dester Singapore Gold Cup (2000m) winner has had two outings over 1400m this preparation, running out of the placings on both occasions, albeit not far behind the winners.

At his 2019 comeback, the Elite Performance Stable-owned gelding ran on late for sixth to Blizzard in the Group 3 Fortune Bowl in February and one month later, he weakened to fifth to Debt Collector in a Class 1 race following a more positive ride (like he did in the Gold Cup).

But the step-up in distance in the Chairman’s Trophy does not quite make up for the drawback of running under weight-for-age conditions.

“We have to be pretty realistic. Debt Collector gave us a lot of weight last start (in the Class 1 race on March 10) and we have to contend with him at weight-for-age this time; he will be hard to beat,” said Walker.

“Winning the Gold Cup as a handicap carrying 53kgs and running a race at level weights is not quite the same thing. There is a big difference.”

Elite Invincible had only 53kgs when he took out the Gold Cup, and carried the same weight at his last start, facing a pull of weights of six kilos against Debt Collector who beat him by nearly two lengths that day. They all carry 58kgs on Sunday, except for Makanani, who gets a 1.5kgs allowance by virtue of being a mare.

Walker said the Irish-bred five-year-old son of Archarcharch has not put a foot wrong since his last start, and is actually in very good nick.

“The horse is in good shape. Benny (Woodworth) will give him his last gallop tomorrow,” said the two-time Singapore champion trainer

“He will have the visor blinkers on just to sharpen him up. The 1400m was too short for him at his first two runs.

“He was meant to run in the original Chairman’s Trophy, and after it’s been pushed by five weeks, we have kept him on target for that race.”

Originally scheduled for March 3, the feature race was postponed to April 7 in order to close down the gap with the Group 3 Moonbeam Vase (1600m on May 5) and give eventual Kranji Mile (May 25) contenders more adequate intervals in the lead-ups.

And yes, the $1.5 million Invitational Group 1 Kranji Mile (1600m) remains Elite Invincible’s main target this campaign.

“After Sunday, we will then get him ready for the Kranji Mile. It’ll be tough again as it’s another Weight-for-Age race, but we’ll see how it goes.”