Zac Kasa ready to rumble

To date, Zac Kasa has won more trials than he has won races. The score right now reads five trial wins to three race wins.

So, what that tells you in numbers is this.

It doesn't follow that a trial win is followed by a race win.

Well, Zac Kasa didn't win his trial at Kranji on Tuesday morning. That honour went to Elite Beast.

But, in my book at least, from that trial, Zac Kasa should go on to win his next assignment which happens to be on Sunday.

But back to that hit-out on Tuesday, trainer Cliff Brown's runner wasn't just the star. He was the whole theatre.

Ridden by Michael Rodd and jumping from the outermost chute, Zac Kasa was quickly in control of things.

Such was his dominance that he had put almost three lengths between himself and Elite Beast when they hit the 600m mark - and he wasn't even asked to go fast.

Into the straight and he was humming along. Rodd didn't have to do a thing. Two hundred metres out and Elite Beast was at his withers.

We saw Benny Woodworth shorten reins and, at the 100m mark, he was scrubbing the neck of Elite Beast.

Rodd let him go. There was no need to push Zac Kasa. Or to rake him with his heels. Or to use the persuader. Better to let the challenger through - and he did. Elite Beast won the trial by a neck. The time for the 1,000m was 60.85sec.

While not privy to his condition on pulling up, it could be safely assumed that Zac Kasa would have returned to the barn blowing slightly yet looking as hard as a brick.

Caorunn would take third, a distant 5 ¼ lengths away.

While new trainer Jerome Tan would have been delighted with the run of Elite Beast, I reckon the connections of Zac Kasa would have been the ones rubbing their hands in glee.

After all, in this sub-culture of sweat, sawdust and feed buckets, Zac Kasa must seem like a breath of fresh air.

He has been off the board just twice in 11 starts and his bank balance is almost of the half-million dollar mark.

So, can he bring his trial form to the races?

He should. Although he has yet to face the starter in the new season, I don't see why he shouldn't give a good account of himself when racing fresh.

Just rewind to when he opened his March last year and you'll discover that he had come off a similar sort of break.

He meets some flashy ones in Sunday's main race but I reckon he can rumble with the best.

Back to the trials and there was plenty to like about Golden Win's performance.

Having a practice run, he romped home by eight lengths under jockey TH Koh, clocking a decent time of 61.83sec.

A relative newcomer to Kranji's ranks, it must be said that his run on debut didn't inspire much confidence.

That day in October last year, he finished ninth of 14 - but it was a packed finish and, on the line, he was just five lengths in arrears.

Trained by David Hill, he had been trialling well coming into Tuesday's hit-out and, next time out, he just might be worth specking on top with a price.