Red Rover’s back in business

What's with Red Rover? After showing so much promise in his debut season in 2019, he seems to have gone off the boil.

You could say - and you wouldn't be wrong - that it happens in racing.

But, of late, his runs going back a year ago have been just flat. Indeed, some were truly flat-liners.

So it must have brought some joy to his connections when he turned in a winning trial at Kranji on Tuesday morning.

You want to talk about social distancing in this time of the pandemic? Well, Red Rover didn't just obey the rule.

He took it to new heights, insisting that his rivals kept their distance.

And he wasn't just being prissy about the two-metre rule.

He won by about 10 metres which, I reckon, bordered on being unsociable.

Anyway, the records will show that it was a six-length win - and that he did the 1,000m trip on the Polytrack in 60.99sec.

From trainer Mark Walker's camp and ridden by former top jockey Saimee Jumaat, Red Rover was never seriously challenged in his trial.

He was three lengths clear just before straightening for the run home. Such was his dominance that Saimee allowed him to get to the line without a hint of persuasion.

So, the question: Is Red Rover hitting a rich vein of form?

His owner, Fortuna Racing Stable, will be hoping that's the case. But one thing's certain, there's still plenty of racing left in that big frame of his. Right now, the only way is up.

On the subject of horses that can only get better, take note of Classic Thirtysix.

He came off second spot to beat his stablemate Amazing Breeze in the fourth trial of the morning - and he did it with some authority.

Ridden by Louis-Philippe Beuzelin, Classic Thirtysix tracked Amazing Breeze all the way and was at his withers when they straightened.

With Troy See appearing to make a run for it on Amazing Breeze, Beuzelin sent Classic Thirtysix into overdrive.

The three-year-old was up to the task and quickly mastered his stablemate to win by half a length.

The time for the 1,000m was a not-too-shabby 60.23sec.

Trained by Jerome Tan, Classic Thirty made his racing debut early last month and put up a pretty decent show to finish third behind Bruce Alnaughty.

Disadvantaged by having to race wide and without cover for most of the 1,400m trip, he finished less than two lengths behind the winner.

He was asked to do too much at his last start when sixth to Lim's Kosciuszko.

That, after being awkwardly away.

With Tuesday's trial under his girth, expect an improved show when his connections decide to send him out for his third Kranji start.

Keep an eye also on Surge and, for that matter, Resurgence. Both were winners and both looked to be in decent condition.

Surge, from Leticia Dragon's yard, recorded the fastest time of the morning when winning his trial in 59.97sec, while the Tim Fitzsimmons-trained Resurgence came from last to swamp his rivals in 60.69sec for the trip.