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Champion trainer Michael Clements will be looking to make the most of his strong hand with Celavi, Paletas and Tuesday in Saturday’s penultimate event, the $70,000 Class 3 race over 1200m on Polytrack.

Scratching the surface, Paletas 's bid for a four-in-a-row might make him jump out as the instinctive favourite, but the other two tick a few boxes, too.

If pressed, Clements actually gives Celavi , a well-beaten Lion City Cup runner at her last start, a slight edge.

"I don't like to split them, but if I really had to, I would say Celavi. She's in really good form at the moment and on her day, she's hard to beat, especially back on Polytrack," said the Zimbabwean-born handler of the Fighting Sun four-year-old.

"At her races on turf recently, she has not performed well, like at her last start in the Lion City Cup (fading 12th after racing up with the speed early).

"She's better suited to racing on Poytrack, and 1000m to 1100m are her best trips (all three wins over that range).

"We're stretching her a little up to the 1200m on Saturday, but the filly came through her last start very well. She's been strong in trackwork, she's really very well.

"She'll be running in something easier and on Polytrack. The Lion City Cup was a big ask, but I still believe she can be competitive in a race like the Merlion Trophy (Group 3 Polytrack 1200m race on November 27) at the end of the year."

With regular partner Louis-Philippe Beuzelin suspended, it's four-time Singapore champion jockey Vlad Duric who steps up to the plate for the ride.

Clements was also full of praise of the progressive Paletas, even if ideally, if he had his way, he would have preferred a longer journey at this stage into the Iffraaj four-year-old's programme.

"Paletas is a progressive horse who always tries very hard. He's a very honest horse," he said.

"Though he's been winning (1100m to 1200m over both turf and Polytrack), we tend to agree with Shafrizal (Saleh) who told us he's looking for a bit more distance now.

"There was a Class 3 1400m race we wanted to run him in last week, but he had a sore foot and it took a bit longer to get him fit again.

"I think he's probably been helped by the lighter weight this Class. He's done nothing wrong yet.

"He's a horse who likes to get back off the pace and then runs on strongly. Shafrizal gets along very well with him.

"I'm sure the horse will give a good account of himself again this Saturday."

Naturally, four-year-old and long distance rhyme with the Group 1 Singapore Derby, but Clements is mindful not to make haste.

"We'll definitely look at a race like the Stewards' Cup (1600m on July 3), but his ratings (currently 70) should go higher," he said of the race which was previously slated as the second Leg of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge, which was, however, canned this year with the cancellation of the first Leg, the Group 3 Silver Bowl (1400m).

"The Derby over 1800m is also a race we are looking at, but we'll have to see how he runs on Saturday and how he progresses from there."

With Tuesday not quite the proven quantity on turf like Celavi – all three wins recorded on Polytrack between 1100m and 1200m – the Three-Year-Old races coming up (Group 3 Singapore 3YO Sprint over 1200m on June 27 and Group 2 Singapore 3YO Classic over 1400m on July 18) are not quite on his agenda, but his handler hopes that his affinity for the all-weather will at least get him back in a winning mood this Saturday.

"Tuesday hasn't had much luck at his last couple of starts, especially at his second-last start (fifth to Makkem Lad in a Class 3 race over 1200m on turf)," said Clements.

"He is well placed coming back on Polytrack, and he's hitting some good form. I expect him to go well."

Juan Paul van der Merwe, who boasts one win with the Deep Field three-year-old, is back in the saddle.

Leader for most of the first tier of the season, Clements last Saturday conceded the lead to arch-rival Mark Walker. The Kiwi mentor brought up a double with Street Cry Success and Savvy Command to draw on level terms with Clements (who saddled only one winner in Tom Cat) on 32 winners, but sits on top on a count for seconds.

It is a reminder to Clements of the old cliché staying at the top is harder than getting there.

"We had a good start to the year, but Mark had a very good month in April and May. His horses have been in better form in that time," said Clements.

"I think we'll go neck and neck for a while. To me, like I've said before, it's all about getting the winners, stacking them up to have a shot at the title."