Hip Hip Hooray should be winning again very soon

He was flat in his last two outings - but he was racing with one of the best at Kranji at the moment.

So, don't be so quick to jump off HIP HIP HOORAY.

He is better than his last two runs seem to suggest and, if anything, he did put in a pleasing effort at the trials on Tuesday.

Ridden by Manoel Nunes, he was up on the pace all the way and although challenged by Katagas over the final stretch, he looked like winning, then looked like he would be beaten.

Then, in that battle to the line, he showed gutsy determination to get his nose down at just the right moment.

Yes, a nostril was what separated him from Katagas but - and in fairness, Hip Hip Hooray was travelling best when it mattered.

His time of 60.29sec for the 1,000m was highly commendable and it would not surprise if it translates into a win in the not-too-distant future.

Now with Michael Clements, who has had him since late March, Hip Hip Hooray was under the care of David Kok when he opened his Kranji account at his first race start last October.

Incidentally, that too was after he had won a trial just 10 days earlier.

Backed down to $10 on the win tote in his next start, he looked like putting together a race-to-race double but lost out to Poseidon in a photo finish.

He went off the boil in his next two outings and his fan club numbers would have dwindled. Then came those last two starts where he finished down the course.

But those were high-class races won by Lim's Cruiser and in more suitable company, Hip Hip Hooray could be back among the winners.

ELITE PERFORMANCE

In that same trial on Tuesday, ELITE EXCALIBUR's performance would have warmed the hearts of his connections who, on Monday, tasted success with Elite Warrior.

Elite Excalibur didn't win his trial. He didn't even take second or, for that matter, third spot. But the way he finished off the 1,000m was good stuff.

A backmarker from the "off", Elite Excalibur was still a distance behind the lead when they angled out for that run home.

However, with 200m to travel, he really began racing and his charge to the line saw him finish sixth - just over four lengths behind the winner.

We all know that Elite Excalibur is a class act and with a few more trials like that one on Tuesday, he should be ready to be tossed into the mix.