No doubting this 'Thomas'
Top gallops from Tuesday morning at the Kranji Racecourse
Two in the bag and gunning for a hat-trick of wins, Thomas De Lago should keep his act going on Sunday.
That was the impression we got after he turned in a fine gallop on the training track yesterday morning.
With Tengku Rehaizat on the reins, Thomas De Lago cantered one round then wasted no time in posting a swift 34.7sec sprint over the 600m.
For one thing, it showed that he was holding his winning form well enough. For another, it was clear to all that trainer Desmond Koh has again worked his magic with this son of Dylan Thomas.
After a string of seconds - four in total - many were beginning to wonder if Thomas De Lago was forever going to play second fiddle while never tasting the glory of being the main man.
Well, he certainly proved us wrong when, a month ago, he broke the duck to notch up his first win from 11 starts. And he did it in style, beating a handy bunch of "maidens" over the 1,100m on the Polytrack.
That day, when ridden by apprentice I Amirul, Thomas De Lago came from way off the pace - he was sixth of 12 at the top of the straight - to mow down the opposition.
One by one, he picked them off until there was only Ashhab and Mr Coppola left. Ridden with the whip, he drew level then sprinted away to win by over one length.
Then, in his next start, a Class 4 Non Premier contest, he confounded his backers by running a different race altogether. Ridden by Vlad Duric, he took no prisoners. Racing to the front from the get-go, he played catch-me-if-you-can with the rest.
Of course, they couldn't - catch him, that is. And he cruised to the line, beating Lucky Six by two lengths.
For that, he's been bumped up to "Premium" class. But it's the same trip (1,100m) and over the same surface, so it won't seem too far-fetched to expect a similar sort of performance from this galloper who appears to have finally found his niche.
Also on Sunday - which is the final day of the 2018 racing season - there's Maximus to watch out for. From trainer Alwin Tan's yard, he looked a picture when covering the 600m in 38sec.
A seven-time winner from 17 starts, Maximus was a last-start winner. That night, on Nov 9, he received lukewarm support and was sent off as a $61 chance.
LIKE A REALLY GOOD ONE
But he ran home like a really good one. With half the field still in front of him on straightening, apprentice Troy See got to work. Rapidly gaining on the leaders, Maximus hit the front 150m out then held off some serious challenges from the likes of Golden Sword and Marine Treasure to win by a handy half length.
That was over the 1,100m. He races over the mile in the Colonial Chief Stakes - and the trip shouldn't pose a problem.
Flashback to March this year - which now seems light years away - and we saw Maximus run home a gallant winner, after making every post a winning one. That race was over the mile. A month later and over the same trip, he again ran away an easy winner over 1,600m.
Although Maximus has never been "box office" material, expect a good run from him in the last "feature" of the season.
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