Showers of blessing for Time Lord
When it rained buckets on Kranji on Saturday, there were many who cursed the wet weather.
Not so Time Lord and his connections.
For them, the downpour was showers of blessing and, as it turned out, it certainly helped the five-year-old return to his winning ways.
After slipping under the radar for a while, Time Lord revelled in the wet conditions, winning the Class 3, 1,800m race in style.
Of course, credit must also go to jockey Juan Paul van der Merwe who charged through the deluge to steer home the son of Guillotine.
Ridden positive from the get-go, Time Lord had to, however, trade leads with Irish-bred stayer Buddy Buddy (Ruan Maia) on three occasions before resolutely clinging on when it mattered.
The swoopers were spread across the track as they issued their bids inside the last 300m, but Time Lord - like a duck in water - fought on, outstaying them rather comfortably in the end.
As for Buddy Buddy, he was a game second - even if he was almost two lengths in arrears. Augustus, the mount of John Powell, took third another half-length away.
Neglected at the betting windows, Time Lord rewarded his backers with a juicy $112 payout on the win tote.
Time Lord last saluted on June 1, 2019 when he won a Class 3 race over 1,400m.
But his trainer Mark Walker revealed his racing career was interrupted by respiratory issues.
"He was quite a good horse, but he had a wind op," said the three-time Singapore champion trainer.
"It was a brilliant ride by JP. He judged the speed, summed it up very well and gave the horse a soft lead.
"Because of the wind op, this horse remains a day-to-day proposition. I may give him a freshen-up after this run."
Van der Merwe said Walker's bullishness, when the heavens opened, rubbed off on him as he headed out.
"Mark was very confident before the race. He said the horse loves the wet," said van der Merwe, who was returning from a three-day careless riding ban.
"When he broke well, I just let him go to the front. Maia did come around, but when he tried to slow up the pace, I let my horse roll forward again.
"I just wanted him to be in front so he could do his own thing.
"He travelled so well, and I could feel something underneath me - for once."
Time Lord's record now reads three wins and two thirds from 15 starts.
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