Basilisk shooting for a straight double
Khoo's pair shine on a rain-interrupted morning of trackwork at Kranji
Heavy rain and menacing bolts of lightning yesterday morning forced fast work at Kranji to be limited to just a few horses.
Indeed, such were the atrocious weather conditions that the track was opened for workouts only at 7.05am - almost an hour after the usual "start-time".
Then again, it's always best to have safety protocols firmly in place - even if it meant that there weren't going to be the usual procession of horses.
Instead, the fast action was reduced to a trickle, with only three horses going against the clock.
They were Basilisk and Joyful Aspiration, who galloped together 600m in 37.8sec, and Qaarat, who had Saifudin Ismail in the saddle when clocking 42.4sec.
With the action limited to just a few, it was left to the Leslie Khoo-trained Basilisk and Joyful Aspiration to make us forget about the thunder and lightning.
Just turned seven years old, Basilisk is still a force to be reckoned with on the racetrack.
Last time out, Basilisk turned back the clock in winning fashion, beating a Class 4 field - which including many horses who were much younger.
That day, on July 25, Khoo opted for an apprentice jockey - Krisna Thangamani - to do the steering and the 2kg-claimer rode a copybook race on the $50 roughie.
Jumping cleanly from an inside gate, Krisna settled his mount in fourth spot behind the pace set by Bionics and Winning Spirit.
He made his move 200m out and, producing a fine turn of foot, Basilisk ran away from the rest, eventually beating Snip - the mount of Danny Beasley - by over three lengths.
It was his 43rd start and his fifth career win.
As his fourth win was way back in March last year, it was a long wait between drinks but ample reward for his connections.
From what we saw of him at the trials just last week, when he ran third behind Headhunter, and yesterday's hit-out, Basilisk is holding his form.
Come Sunday, he could put another win on the board, when he tackles the Class 4 Division 2 race over the Poly 1,200m.
As for stablemate and galloping partner, Joyful Aspiration, he is a first reserve in the Class 5 Division 1 sprint over the Poly 1,200m. Should he get a place in the starting line-up, he might be worth a punt at nice odds.
Same, too, with Qaarat.
Although getting long in the tooth - he turned eight some three weeks ago - he will run an honest race in Sunday's Class 4 Division 2 event over the Poly 1,100m.
Two of his last four runs produced a second and a third. As for his last two runs, they are best left forgotten.
However, such is his character that Qaarat could just bounce back and make the board for trainer John O'Hara.
He's always a good candidate for those novelty bets.
So don't be shy to include him in your quartet.
He could help build the bank.
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