Zac Kasa can outsprint his rivals
Tuesday's Singapore best bet
Tonight's Kranji Stakes A race over 1,200m may consist of some of the brightest sprinters on the circuit, but Zac Kasa possesses the ability to outshine them all with his form.
True, among his challengers is dual Lion City Cup winner Lim's Cruiser. But the Stephen Gray-trained champion sprinter is just back from a spell and looks a tad short of his best. If he wins, it will be on class.
Zac Kasa, on the other hand, is going from strength to strength and has abandoned his kamikaze manners. The Cliff Brown-trained grey is now more relaxed and settled in his racing style and can stretch up to 1,400m.
The three-time winner was superb in his last two starts. Last time out, he led and was beaten close home by only stablemate Mister Yeoh in the $500,000 Group 2 EW Barker Trophy over 1,400m.
Previous to that, he showed he was not one-dimensional when he discarded his tearaway front-running manners to stay handy behind before accelerating to win a Class 2 race over 1,200m in a swift 1min 09.33sec.
He beat trainer Shane Baertschiger's rising star Bold Thruster, who went on to capture the $200,000 Group 3 Saas Fee Stakes over 1,200m in 1min 08.84sec.
On the Zac Kasa-Lim's Cruiser rivalry, Zac Kasa seems to have the handicap advantage.
When Lim's Cruiser beat Zac Kasa in the Lion City Cup on May 26, he carried 57kg to his rival's 55.5kg. Now Lim's Cruiser is handicapped at the joint-top impost of 59.5kg in Race 6 tonight, while Zac Kasa will carry only 55kg.
This is why Gray is banking on his apprentice jockey I Amirul's 2kg allowance to get a better chance of winning and, hopefully, earn an invite to the prestigious International Group 1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint over 1,200m at Sha Tin on Dec 9.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now