3 minute read
Singapore racing best bets, race analysis looking at the full Singapore card Saturday, 16th October 2021 with selections & information on all the contenders.
RACE 1
1st Pick: INHERIT (2) Proved more competitive back in Class 5 last time out. Well drawn. If he reproduces that form, he will be in with a shout.
2nd Pick: MALIBU BEACH (3) Hit-and-miss type of horse. Last start was solid when second to St Alwyn. If he brings his A-game, he will take a hand in this, especially after drawing marble one.
3rd Pick: FAST AND FEARLESS (1) Never a factor last time out. Bold second at previous start but jockey was suspended. Drops in class and can't be ignored.
4th Pick: NORTHERN SUN (5) Keeping form up following win two runs back over course and distance. Handy barrier. No reason why he can't make his presence felt here.
RACE 2
1st Pick: SUN ACE (1) Both of his career wins have come over this distance. Remains in Class 5 and gets his chance to go back-to-back in this field.
2nd Pick: HELUSHKA (5) Caught the eye running second last start. That was over 1200m but the step-up to 1600m is a plus and has a good record over the journey.
3rd Pick: RESURGENCE (6) Still yet to break through for a victory, but his last-start second was noticeably his best run to-date. Can improve.
4th Pick: HOSAYLIAO (3) Has struggled since winning two in a row. Has the ability to be in the finish in this division. Needs to find his best again.
RACE 3
1st Pick: MAGNIFIQUE (1) The weight is his biggest enemy being at the top of the ratings. Two starts ago, it was a tough ask to carry 58.5kgs but with the claim last start it put him on a level playing field.
2nd Pick: STRONG N SMART (4) He is a horse with a fair bit of ability. Had a quiet trial in a lead-up to this race, and off his best form, he can figure here.
3rd Pick: ROYALTY (11) Was a runner-up to a horse who has won four in succession. So that's good enough to bring him here in the weaker division of this class.
4th Pick: DR KARDO (8) Haven't seen his best since he broke through in maiden company. Did trial in nice order the other day. Could be one to fill out the multiples.
RACE 4
1st Pick: OUR SECRET WEAPON (6) Doesn't win out of turn but has been hitting around the mark of late. Has drawn an alley and should be a major threat in this.
2nd Pick: PINDUS (7) Just changed trainer and ownership, and had to be scratched last week. In fine fettle and won't surprise if he runs a bold race first-up for new connections.
3rd Pick: TESORO PIRATA (11) Led at his last start. Stayed on, weakened late. Drops in weight and should fight out the finish this time.
4th Pick: YES ONE BALL (5) Not without ability. Things have not quite gone his way at recent runs. Can make amends.
RACE 5
1st Pick: AMAZING BREEZE (4) Since breaking his maiden earlier in the year his form, has been good and was not beaten too far. Was an eye-catching run last start running one of the quickest sectionals.
2nd Pick: GOLDEN SPRINT (6) Had his first win on the turf last start and meets a pretty fair Novice field here. Didn't have a lot of luck when winning and still got the job done.
3rd Pick: HERO (3) His run last start was too bad to be true. Had the blinkers added and went forward which was a complete reversal from when he won. Trialled nicely since then, so give him another chance.
4th Pick: AFTERMATH (2) From our leading stable he gets a chance to earn a cheque in this field. Last time he ran in this grade, he ran a solid third to Lim's Kosciuszko.
RACE 6
1st Pick: DRAGON RYKER (5) Still chasing first win but has been thereabouts since moving to trainer Donna Logan. Can open account here.
2nd Pick: SUPER TALENT (4) Pops up now and then. This looks right up his alley. If he is not too outpaced, he can finish over the top of them.
3rd Pick: PAPERBACK TROOPER (2) Veteran Polytrack specialist who bounced back to winner's circle at his last start. Not the sort who strings two wins together, but does have claims in this moderate affair, albeit horror gate is a concern.
4th Pick: INTREPID (6) Needs more ground as she's a get-back type who starts her runs late, but if they roll along, she could pinch a place. Nice low draw helps.
RACE 7
1st Pick: EVEREST (2) Quality young horse who has a solid record coming into this. Still untapped and has room for more improvement. Class could see him take this out.
2nd Pick: THE AUGUST (1) Makes his return to Class 4 grade. The last time he raced in this grade he was successful. Watch the betting.
3rd Pick: CHARGER (6) Consistent galloper who has struggled to put his nose over the line first. Meets a tough field here but will be somewhere in the finish.
4th Pick: KIMITONARA (11) Gets in on a light weight in this race. One of his wins has come at this course and distance, and he was not far away from the finish at last few starts.
RACE 8
1st Pick: SAVVY COMMAND (1) Entered in the QEII Cup at the first entry stage. Connections have opted to run in this race instead and it would look like the better race for him. A good third in the Singapore Derby in July, he has since run a couple of times over shorter trips and hasn't been disgraced. The return to 1800m can suit and this will be the easiest race he would have run in since scoring in early July.
2nd Pick: REAL EFECTO (8) An upwardly-mobile horse who has won his last two in good style. All three wins have come on the Polytrack but he does handle turf judged on some earlier racing as a maiden. He has continued to progress well and if translating that winning All-weather form to the turf, he is a serious chance and is entered in the Singapore Gold Cup.
3rd Pick: TRUMPY (5) Fourth in last year's Singapore Gold Cup and has now slipped to a very workable mark. A good third when last seen off this mark and going up in trip is plus. Another entered in the blue riband on November 14 and a bold show here is on the cards.
4th Pick: SHEPHERD'S HYMN (9) A course and distance winner in a lesser grade and seems to have decent reserves of stamina to call upon. Finishing off well over a furlong shorter in the race won by Tiger Leap last time out and this race suits nicely.
RACE 9
1st Pick: ACCUMULATION (6) Made stacks of ground last time out. Reverts to Polytrack, which he handles as well. Pacifiers back on. Always a handy pointed when jockey Wong Chin Chuen links up with Mark Walker.
2nd Pick: JOYFUL ASPIRATION (2) Has taken a few runs to get back to form after almost a one-year absence. Blinkers sharpened him up last start. Drawn awkwardly but can still go close as he comes from behind.
3rd Pick: FLAMING KIRIN (1) Still winless in 22 starts, but looking for new luck with new name (ex-Master Sommelier). Blinkers back on. Will relish extra 400m. Include in calculations.
4th Pick: MINGS MAN (7) Old stager Mings Man is not ready to be put to pasture. Still packs a punch in this grade and scored his last win over the course and distance. Place claims despite drawing sticky barrier.
RACE 10
1st Pick: TUESDAY (12) A smart young sprinter and is resuming here after a decent break. He has had a couple of very good trials since he was last seen and recently ran second to the useful Everest. With a lovely light weight and a good cruising speed, he looks well placed here under Louis Beuzelin.
2nd Pick: ENTERTAINER (3) In super form and won well last time out. He has to prove as affected over 1200m as he has been over shorter distances, but is in great form and is a leading contender here.
3rd Pick: UNIVERSAL EMPIRE (10) Winner of his last two races in Class 4 grade. Having improved 10 points for these victories, he has to overcome a wide draw here but does look capable of more progression.
4th Pick: SACRED GIFT (7) Another who is better suited to shorter trips. He has run some good races in hotter company than this and if he stays the 1200m well, he should be right there at the business end of the race.
RACE 11
1st Pick: TOP KNIGHT (3) Winner of this race 12 months ago when defeating Minister and in the process making it 2-2 over the course and distance at the highest level. Winless since then, he had the blinkers added last time out in the Raffles Cup and even though starting slowly, he ran on extremely powerfully to take the runner-up spot behind Lim's Lightning. This distance possibly suits him best now and on the back of the Raffles Cup showing, he seems to have some of that old sparkle back and with the good record at this trip, he can prove the one to take on Lim's Lightning in this year's renewal.
2nd Pick: LIM'S LIGHTNING (1) Singapore's highest-rated horse in training (111). This extremely talented six-year-old has had a year to remember, claiming a brace of Group 1 successes and has only tasted defeat once in 2021 at the hooves of Minister in the Kranji Mile. The winner of the Raffles Cup last time out over the 1600m, he is a credit to the training capabilities of Daniel Meagher and his team, and he deserves his place at the top of the Kranji tree. The mile was no issue to him when last seen under a superb Danny Beasley ride and should once again be right in the thick of things here. He does have to prove his stamina for 1800m, but it would be folly to think he won't stay on the back of what's been a fantastic season for him. Leading player once again.
3rd Pick: BIG HEARTED (6) Just behind both Lim's Lightning and stablemate Top Knight in the Raffles Cup last time out when third. He is the winner of last year's Singapore Gold Cup and has been placed this term in both the Singapore Derby over this course and distance and the Raffles Cup last start. He has bags of stamina and was running home very well last time out. The Singapore Gold Cup is likely the main target again for 2021, but he has all the right minerals to go very close in this under ideal conditions.
4th Pick: HARD TOO THINK (9) The 2021 Singapore Derby winner for Team Copperbelt and Marc Lerner in July. This gelding is the type of horse that Stephen Grey excels with, and he made a more than pleasing return to action last time out over 1400m with a staying-on third placing in a Kranji Stakes A over an inadequate trip. He has the beating of Big Hearted and Mr Malek on the Derby form, and the main aim is the Singapore Gold Cup on November 14, a race his trainer has won in the past. Solid chance in this and should be in the mix when the whips are cracking.
RACE 12
1st Pick: WHISTLE GRAND (5) This race fits the profile of this six-year-old and he will be seen to best effect late on and the blinkers going on is a big plus. Big chance here.
2nd Pick: SUPER SMART (12) Rider was queried last time out. The son of Big Brown ran on strongly last time out and looks very well handicapped now. One to keep an eye on in this.
3rd Pick: LIM'S PASSION (1) This is easier than some recent races and is a must for the quartet from a leading stable.
4th Pick: THUNDER (7) Loves the conditions here and is racing off a good mark now.
