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The Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge has not ended yet that trainer Michael Clements is already busy getting another team up and running for the other age series, the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge.
Clements will probably be the hot favourite to take out the grand final of the 3YO series, the Group 1 Singapore Guineas (1600m) on May 25, after Top Knight surged late in the Group 2 Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic (1400m) last Friday, with another one of his runners, Siam Blue Vanda, a fast-closing fourth.
In the interim, the $85,000 Class 2 race over 1200m on Friday night will serve as a handy guide to his trio of Eagle Eye, Gingerella and Quarter Back from a 4YO series perspective.
Originally scrapped after the Charity Bowl – second Leg formerly known as the Patron’s Bowl but renamed last year - was discontinued, the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge was brought back to life with the newly-created Group 3 Silver Bowl (1400m) slated as the first Leg on June 9. The Group 2 Stewards’ Cup (1600m) is the second Leg on June 30 and the Group 1 Singapore Derby (1800m) is the third Leg on July 21.
Of Clements’ three runners this Friday, Eagle Eye and Gingerella are recent winners this prep while Quarter Back had a freshen-up since reeling off a two-in-a-row in a Class 3 race over 1200m in February and a Kranji Stakes C race over 1400m in March.
Moving forward, both Eagle Eye and Quarter Back will potentially aim at going the whole hog in the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge while Gingerella, being an archetype sprinter, is unlikely to go past the Silver Bowl.
Regardless of the different permutations and combinations – Clements already has Eye Guy, a cracking second to Elite Excalibur in Sunday’s Group 3 Moonbeam Vase (1600m) and may have a couple more waiting in the wings – the Zimbabwean-born handler will get a better idea how the options may work out after Friday’s race.
“All three will be going to the first Leg of the 4YO series, the Silver Bowl. This Class 2 race was the ideal springboard to that,” he said.
“Gingerella was actually entered in the (Group 3) Rocket Man Sprint (1200m) last Sunday, but in the end, we went for this race. She will be going up to the 1400m Leg in the 4YO series.
“She is a very strong, fast and brilliant mare. From being a one-time winner in Perth, she’s turned her form around here.
“In the space of four runs – three wins and one narrow second at her last start in Class 1 company - she’s done a great job and is still in good form.
“She’s drawn well (4) and she’s got the speed to go forward. The only thing is the Long Course may find her out.”
While the daughter of Gingerbread Man is on a shorter-term mission, Clements expects the other two to keep getting better as the Legs lengthen up, but they would not be out of their depth in Friday’s speedier assignment either.
“Eagle Eye never shows much in training, so it’s hard to tell. He’s gone through the same gallop and training, but he looks to have maintained his condition since his last win,” said Clements of the Argentinian-bred son of Pure Prize.
“It was a pretty impressive win on the Polytrack, but he’s won on turf when Ricardo (Le Grange) had him, so he’s quite versatile.
“This will be an ideal race for him. He’s had two good runs for us and there is no reason why he can’t run another good race again.
“As for Quarter Back, he’s a horse who’s on the light side, and that’s why he was kept in training without racing. He’s a progressive horse and should be going for all three Legs as well.
“He’s a Japanese-bred and is coming off two wins. He is an upwardly-mobile horse moving in the right direction.
“He races well fresh, but it will be a test for him in this case as he’s won up to Class 3.”
With the way the handicaps have played out – all three at the lower end of the weight scale - Clements has had to think out of the box for the trio.
With Eagle Eye and Gingerella weighted at 54.5kgs and 53kgs, heavyweight jockey Vlad Duric, who knows both very well, was obviously off. Glen Boss will ride Eagle Eye, Mohd Zaki is on Gingerella and two-time Singapore champion apprentice jockey Wong Chin Chuen jumps on Quarter Back (51kgs).
It’s clear that, as has been the trend in recent years, Clements again has an embarrassment of riches in the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge (he won two Legs with Alibi in 2017, but the Derby has eluded him till now), but he would have a particular “eye” on two of them.
“If I had to split my four-year-olds this season, I would say Eye Guy is proven when up in class as he showed in the Moonbeam Vase,” said Clements of the Joe Singh-owned son of Bradbury’s Luck.
“Eagle Eye has had a number of runs in Group company last time, but didn’t quite measure up. I hope he has matured and can hold his ground better now.
“I also have Safeer and Raheeb that I may consider, but it will all depend on the cut-off point and the entries.”
