Clements to keep up winning ways
Zimbabwean-born trainer has three strong chances at Kranji on Sunday - Golden Years, Loving You and Drone
Bang-in-form trainer Michael Clements rushed up over the last two Kranji race days to take the lead in the Singapore premiership table and the winning momentum is set to continue.
His wins with Siam Vipasiri and Gingerella on Friday and Trapio and Eye Guy on Sunday have shot him to the top of the table with 14 winners, one ahead of two-time Singapore champion Mark Walker and Cliff Brown.
While both his runners for tonight - Hostwin Queen (Race 4) and Peer Gynt (Race 5) - appear to have only small chances, Clements fielded a strong team for Sunday.
He has nine runners, including an emergency acceptor spread over six races, and three of them have strong winning chances. The other five should run good races.
His best runners are Golden Years (Race 2), Loving You (Race 5) and Drone (Race 8) - all incidentally are owned by Falcon Racing No. 7 Stable.
Of the trio, Clements has picked the resuming Drone as his best chance.
A last-start winner in a Class 4 Non Premier race over 1,100m last November, the Golden Archer three-year-old is running in the $50,000 Class 4 race over the Polytrack 1,000m.
"Drone is coming back off a break and trialled very well last week," said the Zimbabwean-born conditioner.
He saddles another five runners on Sunday, including some decent chances like Elena Of Avalor and Ordos Legend, but only two runners on Friday, Hostwin Queen and Peer Gynt.
"He seems to have strengthened up and I expect a good run from him on Sunday."
In the barrier trial, Drone, a two-time Polytrack winner over 1,000m and 1,100m, began the best to show the way.
He had some company in Wonderful Knight and White Truffle early but, once race-rider Vlad Duric loosened his grip, the bold chestnut extended away to a five-length win.
Clements also likes the chances of the consistent Golden Years in the $75,000 Restricted Maiden race over 1,200m on turf.
The Jimmy Choux three-year-old might still be a maiden, but he has never finished worse than third in five starts.
"Golden Years overraced at his last race. We'll try and ride him quiet through the run this time," said Clements.
While that sky-blue army pair will have two-time Singapore champion jockey and regular Falcon pilot Vlad Duric aboard, Clements has stuck with Juan Paul van der Merwe for the ride on Loving You in the $70,000 Kranji Stakes C Division 2 race over 1,200m.
The South African jockey combined with Clements to ride the US-bred four-year-old mare by Twirling Candy to his first - and only - Singapore win in a Class 4 race over 1,200m on March 1.
"JP did a good job on Loving You and I saw no reason not to leave him on her," said Clements.
"She scored a smart win and has done well since then. I expect another good run from her."
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