Gran Torino holds that winning form
Sunday's runners flex their muscles on the training track
Two last-start winners - Gran Torino and Tales Of Summer - served notice to their rivals that they were not done yet and to expect improved performances in their races on Sunday.
Gran Torino had Frenchman Olivier Placais on board and Enchantment (Craig Grylls) as a galloping companion when clocking 37.7sec for the 600m.
As for Tales Of Summer, he went a tad quicker, clocking 37.6sec in the company of Cracking Tottie, who was ridden by Michael Rodd.
Both Gran Torino and Tales Of Summer are engaged in different races on Sunday and both should equip themselves well.
Gran Torino has built up a reputation for consistency and has yet to finish further than fourth in all of his five races.
The fact that he has already won thrice speaks volumes for his ability and it probably explained why he went off as the $14 favourite in his last start.
Anyway, he never gave his legion of backers any anxious moments in what was his second attempt in Class 3.
Ridden by Craig Grylls in that sprint over 1,000m, Gran Torino came off the box seat when they turned for home to make his rivals look like second-raters.
At the end of that spurt, he had put more than two-and-a-half lengths between himself and his nearest rival, Himalaya Dragon.
That was just last month.
Earlier in October last year, he was in his element, winning a Class 4 event over the 1,200m by almost two lengths.
That day, when kept on the withers of the frontrunner, Satellite Man, he hit the front close home - leaving the others stranded and probably wondering what hit them.
Gran Torino was a winner on debut, claiming an Open Maiden event over the 1,100m in August last year.
Trainer James Peters has been patient with this son of Bel Esprit and we certainly have not seen the best of him.
As for six-year-old Tales Of Summer, he has of late been showing a zest for racing. That, after lying dormant for more than a year.
Indeed, it took him 18 winless runs before he finally broke through. That long-overdue win happened in October last year - 17 months after making his Kranji debut.
But let's not hold it against him.
By all counts, he looks like a different horse and that breakthrough victory must have spurred him on because, two unplaced runs later, he was back in the one place at the club where it truly matters - the winners' enclosure.
And it was as recent as last month. Racing in a highly-competitive Class 3 event over the 1,200m on grass, Tales Of Summer made every post a winning one, beating the very talented Lim's Dashing while leaving highly-acclaimed Paparazzi a further distance in arrears.
That day, he rewarded his backers with a three-figure payout. Don't expect the same dividend on Sunday. But you won't be wrong to expect a really good run from this Cliff Brown-trained racer.
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