Khoo has a good one in Basilisk
Baertschiger's runners also impress in morning trackwork
Trainer Leslie Khoo, who was among the winners on the opening day of the 2018 season, could again be smiling for the photographers on Sunday.
His runner Basilisk, who is down to contest the Restricted Maiden event on Sunday, showed good action in his workout at Kranji yesterday morning.
Taken out by Olivier Placais who himself had plenty to celebrate on New Year's Day when he scored on two good-priced winners, Basilisk ran the 600m in 36.4sec.
It was a fine piece of work by the three-year-old who has so far banked in three cheques from just four Kranji outings.
Sure, none were winning cheques as they came via two second-placed finishes and a third in his last start, but the writing seems clear enough.
Basilisk's win will come sooner rather than later. A New Zealand-bred by Battle Paint, Basilisk was hammered at the windows in his last start on Dec 1 and jumped as the prohibitive $9 top choice.
However, punters saw stars when their pick could only manage a third-placing - behind the winner Military Eclipse and runner-up Country Boss.
A chuck of that betting confidence would have come from a run previous when Basilisk finished a smack-up second to Don De La Vega in a similar 1,400m race run on grass in late October.
Basilisk is still a young horse who has been learning the ropes.That said, school's over for the Khoo-trained runner and, come Sunday, he should be among the winners.
Keep an eye also on trainer Shane Baertschiger's Chocante and Gol Goal in the "Novice" event to be run over the 1,200m.
The pair were kept together when covering the 600m in 37.7sec and they both look good to go on Sunday. Matt Kellady was on Gol Goal while John Powell partnered Chocante.
A precocious three-year-old, Chocante would have enlarged his fan base considerably after that fluent win at his last start.
Backed down to favouritism, he came with a sustained run over the concluding stages to wear down second-favourite Elena Of Avalor.
At the finish, Chocante was going away and would win that 1,100m contest by almost two lengths.
Gol Goal also knows his way to the winner's circle. He was there in March last year when winning a 1,700m race in fine style.
Sunday's trip might seem a tad short for the five-year-old but his smack-up fourth behind Ares in his last start over the 1,400m does bring him right into the reckoning and he looks a good candidate for inclusion in those novelty bets.
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