All systems go for Lim's Craft
Withdrawn last Sunday, Burridge-trained 4YO shows nothing amiss with fluent gallop yesterday morning
Lim's Craft galloped well last week but did not line up for his engagement last Sunday - in the race won by tearaway leader Elise from the late-charging hot favourite Elite Incredible.
Elite Incredible was touted as "unbeatable" by many, including myself who made him my best bet, on his "classy" placings in Group 2 and Group 1 at his previous two starts and was running only in Class 4.
But there is no such thing as a certainty in horse racing.
Good kamikaze catch-me-if-you-can tactics adopted by jockey Benny Woodworth on the Daniel Meagher-trained Elise won the day. In racing parlance, it caught the much-vaunted favourite napping.
Elite Incredible should make amends next time out with the run under the belt.
Lim's Craft might not have won last Sunday had he taken part - and he's back in another Class 4 race this Sunday.
Looking at the field, he's meeting much easier opposition. No Elise. No Elite Incredible. No elite competitors, just the average Joes that Lim's Craft could beat in his present form.
Having missed last Sunday's race and having an additional one-week break, trainer Steven Burridge has injected another final hit-up for his brown gelding to clear the wind for his task in Race 3 on Sunday.
It was indeed a top hit-out. With race-jockey Woodworth astride, Lim's Craft covered 600m on the right-handed Track 6 in 37.5sec.
He was chomping on the bit all the way and pulled up wanting more. It should erase any doubts of any issues the horse might have .
In short, Lim's Craft is ready for take-off on Sunday.
Parroting my colleague Brian Miller's comments when he made a case for Lim's Craft last week after his impressive gallop, racegoers should ignore the gelding's last-start sixth.
It was Lim's Craft's first out-of-the-money performance in four starts. He had a first, a second and a third in his earlier three outings.
In that last start on July 5, Lim's Craft had the Stipendiary Stewards busy with comments - slow to begin, raced in restricted room, had to be eased at 800m and 600m, held up and unable to obtain clear running from the 500m until after the 300m, held up after the 200m and had to checked when disappointed for a run at the 100m.
In the end, Lim's Craft finished only 13/4 lengths behind the exciting Surpass Natural. Wow, if not for those unlucky incidents, Lim's Craft possibly would have won hands down in that Class 4 race over 1,200m.
Miller had made his case. I have made mine. Lim's Craft has again caught attention on the training track, so it's prudent to board the potential hot favourite's bandwagon at2.40pm on Sunday.
But the same word of caution: There's no such thing as a certainty in horse racing.
Yesterday's Kranji gallops by Sunday's runners
RACE 1
Obstacle Free * (I Azhar) 40.2. Hero Star pace work. Wild Fire (K A'Isisuhairi) 40.2. Ferocious * (I Saifudin) 38.2.
RACE 2
Beauty Luck * ( A Collett) 37.5.
RACE 3
Lim's Craft (B Woodworth) 37.5. Metagross 41.5. Vulcan (M Kellady) 37.7. Atlantic Fox (JP van der Merwe) 38.7. Blitz Power * ( N Zyrul) 37.3.
RACE 4
Mr Coppola * (R Iskandar) 39.1. Lord Of Light * (Woodworth) 40.5. Top Banana (M Zaki) 38.2.
RACE 5
Party Maker 37.3. Iron Fist 41.2. Shangani (Merwe) 43.4.
RACE 6
Distinctive Darci (Merwe) 39.3. Marine Treasure * (J Powell) 37.4.
RACE 7
Awesome * 41.5. Absolute Miracle (C Murray) 37.6. Unpresedented * (Powell) 37.1.Carribean Lady (M Lerner) 41.1.
RACE 8
Solaris Spectrum (Powell) 44.5. Axel * (Woodworth) 38.6. Sebastian Bach (D Moor) 41.4. Silver Sky (Saifudin) 38.1. Mings Man 37.7. Silent Boss 41.2.
GALLOPS BY TOMORROW'S RUNNERS
RACE 2
Air Combat (Krisna) pace work
RACE 8
Mokastar (Krisna) pace work
Singapore withdrawals
NON-ACCEPTORS FOR TOMORROW'S KRANJI MEETING
RACE 2
Fireworks and Lim's Torpedo
RACE 3
Wonderful Knight
RACE 4
Archie
RACE 5
Bahana, Mr Clint and Nepean
RACE 7
Walking Thunder and Whistling Win
NON-ACCEPTOR FOR SUNDAY'S KRANJI MEETING
RACE 1
Paperback Trooper
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