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All the lessons to be drawn from Makkem Lad’s defeat at his first 2022 run have been learned, but trainer Donna Logan is still niggled by one factor to the speedster’s next outing this Saturday – the Polytrack.

To the Kiwi horsewoman, the Kuroshio six-year-old should have more things going his way second-up in this weekend's $85,000 Class 2 event at Kranji, than at his last outing when he bungled the start and was not fully wound up.

Well backed in a Kranji Stakes A 1200m turf sprint on January 15, Makkem Lad , however, reared at the start and missed a few lengths.

A costly blunder for a noted frontrunner, even if the race was still salvageable, but all fired up under Logan's apprentice jockey Yusoff Fadzli's urgings, Makkem Lad nearly clambered on race-leader Lim's Dream's heels when he booted up on the inside.

In the home straight, he stuck on bravely, but having been ridden upside down, he duly felt the pinch, and was left chasing shadows behind the winner Kharisma to run fourth, 3 ½ lengths astern.

Makkem Lad has this time hit the jackpot in barrier one, will strip fitter, and more to the point, passed his barrier test on Tuesday.

All the ducks are in a row for a quick redemption - except for the race being on the all-weather instead of turf.

"I don't like him on Polytrack as much as on turf even if he won on it early in his career," said Logan.

"I feel his turn of foot is reduced on the Poly, he can't kick off the turn as well as he does on turf.

"I've avoided Poly for him for a long time, but as there weren't a lot of racing opportunities for him, that has forced my hand, and we've decided to give him a run on the Poly this Saturday.

"If not for that, I'd be a lot more confident as he's drawn well in one, and he's a lot fitter this time.

"At his last start, he was too fat. As he gets older, he's really doing (eating) well.

"Then he missed the start, and overraced when he kicked up on the inside. He missed the kick because the young man who works him and knows him the best wasn't the one holding him in the gates that day.

"It wasn't his regular barrier attendant, and he had a new person on hand. I'm not sure what it is, but that was why he reared.

"The usual attendant was in the gates at his test yesterday, and there was no problem at all. He ran a nice trial (just went down a narrow second to Nowyousee after being prominent throughout).

"So, there are three reasons he got beat first-up: he missed the start, he overraced and he was not 100% ready."

Logan also saddles two more runners in the race, the just transferred Zac Kasa and Entertainer, both among the big team of horses to move from Mark Walker following his Kranji exit at the end of last year.

The duo had already raced under Logan's name once, both not quite running up to expectations in their respective races. Zac Kasa was trapped deep punching the breeze and ran seventh in the same contest captured by Kharisma , while Entertainer  looked to be in the zone in a Class 3 1100m dash, but failed to muster when it mattered, to finish seventh more than six lengths off the winner Be Bee .

Makkem Lad will be Logan's No 1 hope, but she is not encouraging punters to give the other two a wide berth either.

Of the two, Entertainer's (Zoustar five-year-old) recent formline reads better with six wins all over 1100m scooped up last year for the Fortuna NZ Racing Stable, while it's been a long time between drinks for Zac Kasa, a seven-year-old by Reset – three years since the last of his four wins in a Class 1 event over 1200m.

"Zac Kasa is 100% sound and is such a lovely horse to work with," said Logan.

"But as he's quite an old horse now, I've been trying to change his work quite a bit. Just try new things to spice things up, mix things up for him and change his outlook.

"It's like for us, we go on holidays just to freshen up, and we come back recharged.

"Entertainer is a nice horse, and I think he needed the run first-up. With a first run under his belt, I expect him to improve this Saturday."

Yusoff stays on Makkem Lad while Mohd Zaki takes over Oscar Chavez on Zac Kasa and A'Isisuhairi Kasim also gets his maiden ride aboard Entertainer, who had Yusoff in the plate at his last start.