3 minute read

Up and coming sprinter Astrostar proceeded to justify his short odds at Singapore on Friday night and further pushed his claims for a tilt towards the first leg of the Singapore 3YO Challenge Series.

In what proved his fourth win from seven career starts the son of Testa Rossa proceeded to notch up a new career peak when saluting comfortably in the 1200m event.

Having not been one of the best into the stride, Astrostar quickly recovered to settle just off the speed with the three-year-old settling down nicely in third.

Travelling very well in behind the speed on straightening, Astrostar was held up slightly passing the 400m before peeling off the leaders back to make his run down the outside.

Showcasing his sharp turn of foot he quickly picked up the two leaders inside the final 200m and while the margin in the end wasn't overly decisive it was clear he still looked to have plenty in hand on the line.

Also the fact the race was run at such a muddling tempo early can also explain why Astrostar failed to win by an extensive margin.

The two leaders Beauty Supreme and Let's See Action recorded one of the slowest opening sectionals of the night and hence had plenty left in the hand when sprinting for home.

The fact then that Astrostar was able to give them such a considerable start and run them down further pushes the strength of his performance.

His effort on Friday night also recorded one of the quickest overall times with his last 600m recorded to be the quickest overall.

Successful in recording a Timeform figure of 94 sees Astrostar rated one of the highest three-year-olds in Singapore at present joining an elite list which includes War Affair, Rite Of Spring, Daniel Italian Job and Faaltless.

Given he is likely to face many of these gallopers at his next start creates plenty of interest as there isn't a whole lot between them at present with race tactics likely to play a big role.

Having already shown good versatility in his short career suggests he can make his presence felt in the Group 3 Three-Year-Old Sprint and must be followed closely.

The Alvin Tan trained El Padrino proved ultra impressive in the Group 3 Merlion Trophy on Friday night when defeating his talented opposition with considerable ease.

Having returned with two strong performances this time in he proceeded to raise the bar sharply third up when saluting by five lengths.

Proceeding to live up to the strong form behind Johnny Guitar two starts back the son of Mr. Nancho has shown tremendous improvement this time in with his latest effort seeing him rated just shy of the best horses currently in Singapore.

Improving close to 20 pounds this time in, El Padrino has stamped himself a real contender in the Singapore Sprint Series and is worth keeping a close eye on.

The Alvin Tan trained Tiger Bee also proceeded to raise the bar on Friday night when proving too good leading throughout in the final event of the night.

Successful in notching up a hat-trick of wins has seen the son of Danroad improve an impressive 12 pounds since breaking his maiden status in fine fashion two starts back.

Likely to be aimed up towards tougher company next start, he is a galloper worth following as the form around Pure Tactics appears quite strong moving forward and his progress doesn't appear to be halted at this stage.

The Michael Freedman trained Indian Jade proved quite the eye catcher in his Singapore debut when flashing home last to salute comfortably on Sunday afternoon.

Having displayed plenty of ability in Europe as a two-year-old culminating with a third placing behind Olympic Glory in the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longchamp, the son of The Sleeping Indian failed in his two starts in Hong Kong before joining Freedman's team.

Rated as high a 112 prior to going to Hong Kong his performance on Sunday suggested he is back on track and while not rated up to his best he is clearly open to sharp improvement when tried over further.

The fact Freedman has also nominated Indian Jade for the Group 1 Singapore Airlines International Cup emphasises his high opinion of the four-year-old and he is definitely a galloper worth following in the future.