3 minute read

Boom three-year-old Tannhauser was clearly the stand-out performance of the weekend, as he again gave his rivals a galloping lesson.

Having turned plenty of heads when breaking his maiden status two back, Tannhauser was sent out the very short priced favourite ($1.20) and duly saluted.

Ridden by Vlad Duric, Tannhauser was always in firm control and had little trouble disposing of rivals, saluting by 6.8L.

Beginning well from the outside stall, Tannhauser pressed on sit outside the lead, with the Stephen Gray trained Bear Witness holding the fence.

Clicked up by Duric rounding the home turn, Tannhauser quickly put a space on his rivals and drew well clear.

Though still quite wayward in the straight, Tannhauser was again very impressive and is clearly a galloper heading the right way.

While not disgraced on debut back in November last year, Tannhauser has evidently returned a much better horse having since received the ultimate gear change (gelded), while also undergoing a wind operation.

Labelled the next Spalato following his maiden success, it is still very early days, however he is very hard to knock and it remains to be seen just what level he reaches.

Still a very raw product, no question Tannhauser remains open to further improvement and is likely to be even better next time around.

Having really scorched the polytrack two back, Tannhauser wasn't as impressive this time around, marked five pounds slower after calculating speed figures.

However his performance was still slick and we eagerly await for him to be tested against stronger company.

Unfortunately the Group 1 Singapore Guineas [1600m] is unlikely, however the step up from 1200m to 1600m is never ideal and I concede he's probably better off avoiding a clash with his stablemate Countofmontecristo at this stage.

As much as I would like to see him thrown in the deep end, the set-up is likely to bring about his undoing.

I'm confident Tannhauser will measure up to that company in time, however it is still very early days and there really is no need to rush.

He still has plenty to learn in regards to his racecraft and will be better suited by being allowed to work through his grades.

The old sporting adage "one step up at a time" really resonates with Tannhauser as he is far from the finished product.

One thing we do know is that he certainly possesses a big engine.

Although the overall time on Friday night wasn't as fast as his maiden win, his closing sectional was still very slick.

The only galloper to be marked inside standard for their last 600m, comparatively Tannhauser was close to 3L faster than any of his rivals on Friday night.

By Tavistock, he is likely to be better over further and is sure to benefit with more racing under his belt.

Arguably the most exciting horse in Singapore, we now eagerly await Michael Clements' next move.

Will we see him in the Guineas? Will we see him on turf? Just how high will Clements raise the bar?

Either way he is sure to create plenty of interest at his next outing.