Rodd has two aces in hand
River Radiance is the top bet for tonight, Filibuster the best on Sunday
Michael "Hot" Rodd holds the keys to the best bets for tonight and Sunday with River Radiance and Filibuster respectively.
Both horses are in sizzling form and will be hard to beat.
The Mok Zhan Lun-trained River Radiance created a very good impression when second first-up on May 31.
A trial winner, the three-year-old New Zealand-bred ran on resolutely to finish a length second to outstanding debut winner Surpass Natural, who became the fastest Restricted Maiden winner at Kranji with his 58.25sec for the Poly 1,000m.
This was .05sec quicker than the class record achieved by El Padrino on Aug 7, 2011.
El Padrino rose to the top class and had 10 wins in all, including three in Group 3 at Kranji and the invitation Group 3 Asia Challenge Cup in Seoul, South Korea, in August 2014.
Surpass Natural confirmed the class he showed by following up with another success in Class 4 over 1,200m on turf in 1min 10.40sec.
With the form franked, River Radiance should also go on to greet the judge in tonight's Race 4, the Restricted Maiden (1) over the Poly 1,100m.
After all, he has improved tremendously. Last week, he won his trial with plenty in hand with Rodd astride.
The bay gelding took the lead on settling down and was two lengths clear at the 600m mark. Rodd just sat pretty on the horse. He did not flex a single muscle and his mount strode strongly to the post.
Filibuster, on the other hand, has returned to winning form after a long lapse.
The Cliff Brown-trained four-year-old mare, a speed demon who was the previous Poly 1,100m course-record holder, scored a surprising win last time out on June 30.
It was over unfamiliar territory - over 1,400m on turf. The other eye-opener was the way she came from the rear to beat Southern Spur in 1min 23.50sec with a hefty 59.5kg in Class 4. Rodd was aboard.
This proves that Filibuster is not one-dimensional. If ridden quiet, she can also finish off her race.
The horse has shown she is still in top shape on the training track. There is a saying that when mares hit form, it will stay on for a long time.
So, go Filibuster again.
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