Shane has two good ones in Dutrow and War Story
All the morning action from yesterday's trackwork
Joint second on the trainers' premiership with Ricardo Le Grange and having a great 2017 season, trainer Shane Baertschiger could seal the deal for the "silver" by saddling a couple of winners on Sunday.
Baertschiger sits on 60 winners and is ahead of Le Grange on countback, having saddled more second-placed runners.
While Mark Walker is popping the champagne, having produced a bumper 84 winners this season, it's been a great duel for that runner-up spot and the lanky Australian has been grinding away - churning out winners on a regular basis.
TASTE SUCCESS
He has entered a modest string for Sunday's action and could taste success with Dutrow and War Story.
The pair impressed clockers at trackside yesterday morning when running the 600m in 37.7sec. Both looked sharp.
Dutrow had John Powell on the reins while Matt Kellady was astride War Story.
Topweight in the last race on the programme, the ultra-consistent Dutrow has a fan base which is growing.
And why not?
The youngster has had four starts at Kranji for a win and three runner-up spots.
The win came in September and it was done in copybook style.
Clearing the chute cleanly in that 1,100m race on the Polytrack, he sat third when they made that left-hander which brought them to the top of the straight.
Powell then clicked him up a gear and he was soon eyeballing Satellite Fighter - the only runner ahead of him.
Two hundred metres to go and Dutrow was rolling home.
The surge soon came and at the line he had put two-and-a-half lengths between himself and the raging $9 favourite Sattar.
That day, he went off at $20. But there was nothing of the sort in his next start on Oct 8. They leapt from trees to back him down to $12.
Alas, and on the day, he came up against a really good one in Silkino and had to settle for second spot.
It was the same story at the last start on Nov 3.
Terms Of Reference, trained by Le Grange, proved too good on the day and Dutrow took home the minor prize.
Come Sunday, he will be having his first race start on the turf and since there is nothing to suggest otherwise, we just might see him romp home over the 1,200m.
As for War Story, he sees action in Race 8 and, if he brings his track form to the races, he could break through for his maiden win in, what will be, his 11th Kranji start.
In his last start, the Kiwi-bred runner was a tad slow out of the gates but made up ground nicely from his spot closest to the paint.
Peeled out by Powell when they straightened, War Story was doing his best work in the closing stages.
If anything, he deserves a winning break and Sunday might just be his day.
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