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A step-up to the mile turned out to be the key to the Desmond Koh-trained Who Loves Bae unlocking his real potential on Sunday.
Runner-up on debut in a six-furlong event, the Deep Field four-year-old went backwards at his next two starts in 1100m and 1400m races, both at Maiden level.
But the stars were finally aligned with the Polytrack mile of the $20,000 Open Maiden race combined with a handy barrier (two) and a gun forward ride by Noh Senari.
Able to dictate terms from the outset, Who Loves Bae looked to have most of his 11 rivals gasping for breath upon straightening, except for favourite Al Meqdam (Louis-Philippe Beuzelin) who was the only one to jump out of the pack with a sense of purpose.
Alarmingly, Who Loves Bae was also running on fumes, but the winning post arrived in time to save him from another day to break that maiden status.
Half-a-length separated him from Al Meqdam with Seven Sundae (A'Isisuhairi Kasim) in third spot another 1 ½ lengths away.
Who Loves Bae returned a win payout of $38 and clocked 1min 39.89secs for the 1600m on the alternative track.
A stakes winner of A$23,670 from his promising record of four placings from as many starts for trainer Philip Stokes in Victoria, Australia, when known as Bayvista, Who Loves Bae has now picked up just a tick under $15,000 in stakes earnings for his new Singaporean connections, the Who Loves You Stable.
Koh was certainly loving it at the winner's enclosure.
"Who Loves Bae has got a bit of an engine, but he is mostly a grinder. We had to find a race that he likes," said the Singaporean trainer.
"We've been trying the wrong race with him when he is to me more of a miler. He returned lame a couple of times, but to me, the real issue was the trip.
"To be fair, we had to build him up over those shorter races, to get air into his lungs before he gets to the mile.
"I told Noh the pace won't be very hot and to try and take the lead. The horse did it like he was off on a Bill Daley!"
Every now and then, Koh comes up with those giveaways about his US training under famous Californian trainers like Jack Van Berg and Ian Jory with quotes peppered with typical American racing jargon. In this case, "off on a Bill Daley" is a commonly used catchphrase by US racecallers and racegoers alike for horses who win form start to finish.
"On a Noh Senari" has not been coined yet, but the amiable Singapore rider continues to make his mark as a more than able pair of hands at Kranji.
"This horse has been trialling so well but the races he's been running in were too short," said the heavyweight jockey.
"At his last start, the boss came up with an idea he might need a mile, and I thought the same way. You could tell from the way he didn't stop, but just couldn't pick up at his previous races, which indicates he needs more ground.
"He led comfortably today and he was brave to the line."
