Will there be a twist to the tale?
Russian Twist is outstanding on the training track
Sometimes, it has worked. A change of name has brought on a change of luck.
Trainer James Peters will be hoping that is the case when Russian Twist takes on a Class 4 field over the mile on Saturday. He owns and trains the seven-year-old, who formerly raced as Made In Russia.
The Australian-bred has been battling to add to his record of just two wins from 27 starts.
His last race as Made In Russia was on July 18. That day, he finished down the course in a race won by Sound The Siren.
Since then, he has had just one more start. That was on Sept 18, when he paraded under his new name, Russian Twist.
The change of name didn't do the trick then. But Russian Twist put in a mighty effort, only to find Con Speranza just too good. He had to be content with second spot.
Well, Russian Twist gets another chance this weekend and he just might go one better.
At trackwork yesterday morning, he was striding out nicely over 600m in a breezy 39sec.
When he began his debut as a four-year-old in 2018 under Lee Freedman, he garnered a busload of fans and did not disappoint.
He did it in style, winning an $80,000 Kranji Stakes C contest over the Polytrack 1,200m.
His other win was over 1,400m on turf in Class 4 on Oct 10 last year.
It was at the beginning of this year that Peters took over training duties, as Freedman prepared to return home to Australia.
Russian Twist has ability. It's just a matter of putting it all together. Maybe, and hopefully, his second appearance as Russian Twist will do the trick.
Another one who is a talent - but has yet to express himself - is Special Ops.
He had Danny Beasley in the saddle when running 600m in 41.3sec. He wasn't extended at any stage of that workout.
Prepared by Jason Ong, Special Ops has already put three wins on the board.
Last time out, he was a good thing beaten when second to Lucky Jinsha on Sept 11.
A fortnight earlier, on Aug 29, he toyed with his rivals in a similar sort of Class 4 race over the 1,200m.
That day, and again with Beasley doing the steering, he came home from a spot way off midfield to run down Good Luck Charm for what was an easy two-length win.
Still in Class 4, Special Ops could be the one to seriously consider on Saturday.
Another emerging talent who lit up the training track was King's Command.
Ridden by Matthew Kellady, he went better than Maceo and Galaxy Star (M Zaki) to cover the 600m trip in 36.9sec.
From Shane Baertschiger's yard, King's Command is a competent miler who should have little problem handling the 1,400m on Saturday.
A New Zealand-bred by Tavistock, his last win over Saturday's trip was last September.
Since then, he has posted a win and a second over the mile. The drop back to 1,400m shouldn't pose a problem. Keep him on your shortlist.
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