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Buddy Buddy may come across like that last-minute guest who gatecrashed his way into the $175,000 Group 3 Fortune Bowl (1400m) on Sunday – and that is a little what he is, revealed trainer Saimee Jumaat.

Just a couple of months ago, the UK import had been tested over a variety of distances from 1400m to 2000m locally, without cutting much ice.

But the Dubawi six-year-old, who boasts two UK wins over 1700m and 1900m as Red Label, showcased where his forte really was when he opened his Kranji account at $103 odds in a Class 4 race over 1800m at his fifth start.

With the beaten opposition rather moderate, even if the victory was quite emphatic, the main learning points were that was his niche and his next runs would probably hover around that class and trip.

Two months later, Buddy Buddy  is facing the starter in a Group 3 race and over seven furlongs!

A trainer since 2017, Saimee has ridden in excess of 1,300 winners in his glittering career as a jockey, and would know a quick horse from a slow one.

While throwing a 69-rater in at the deep end in a feature race where he will be dwarfed by horses rated mostly upwards of 100 or thereabouts may seem a tad over-ambitious, Saimee, however, said there was a reasoning behind.

"Actually, his main target was a Class 3 race over 1800m in two weeks' time (on February 9)," said the former eight-time Singapore champion jockey.

"But as his last run was at that last win at the end of November, he needed the run. I thought I'd give him a barrier trial before that race.

"Then, they were asking for entries for the Fortune Bowl and I suddenly thought that might be better than a trial. He would get in at a light weight and it would be a good lead-up run to that Class 3 race.

"It's a huge roll of the dice, but I spoke to the Hong Kong owners and we decided to enter him."

Saimee said that while that maiden win under Noh Senari on November 29 was certainly not the trigger, it was still a welcomed breakthrough after a period of trial and error.

"I've been trying to get to know him better. Back home, he ran over 2400m and there are no such races here," he said.

"So, I had to sharpen him up over shorter distances here as they would suit him better here.

"Look, he gets in at a light weight (50kgs). As it's a Group race, I had to put a senior rider who can ride at that weight, and I was lucky to get Saifudin Ismail for the job.

"As you know, I don't tie my jockeys down to any instructions. Besides having ridden against Saifudin many times in the past, he is also my cousin, we go back a long way, and he knows what to do.

"This horse is a frontrunner and from barrier No 8, we can hopefully go forward. The trip is no doubt very sharp for him, but let's see how far he can go.

"The owners are from Hong Kong and that's their first horse with me. It's great they have a runner in a Group 3 race here on Chinese New Year."