Great Warrior battle-ready

As the season gallops into its last quarter, Jason Ong will be looking to extend the gap on reigning champion Tim Fitzsimmons as he races to his first trainer’s title.

Right now, Ong is sitting on 47, while Fitzsimmons holds down 42 winners.

Ong has entered a formidable team of 18 runners for the 11 races on Saturday. Fitzsimmons will work with 12.

Right now, Ong’s best on the day could be Great Warrior. Formerly with Michael Clements, Great Warrior was one of the stars on the training track.

Like some of his rivals, including Con Speranza, he worked really well on Tuesday morning.

Taken out by Manoel Nunes, Great Warrior left nothing to the imagination when he ran out the 600m in a fluent 39.8sec.

He looks ready to put that last-start third placing to the very talented Maxima behind him in Saturday’s Class 4 showdown over the mile.

An expensive import from Ireland, where he raced six times for a win, a second and a third, the three-year-old has been trying to break through for his first Kranji success.

But the best he has managed was that runner-up spot behind Winning Stride on Aug 6.

Last-time on Sept 30, racegoers packed him off as the $19 second pick but, on the day, he was found wanting and had to settle for third over the mile.

To date, Nunes has kept the faith with Great Warrior and, should he continue that partnership on Saturday, we could be seeing a winning combination – and another one for Ong.

We said earlier that Con Speranza could throw a spanner in the works, and it is a possibility.

Also on Tuesday morning, the Hideyuki Takaoka-trained runner was an equally impressive worker on the training track.

With Marc Lerner on the reins, he galloped freely over the 600m in 39.3.

A New Zealand-bred, Con Speranza has already begun paying for his board and lodging at the Japanese trainer’s stables.

Sparingly raced this season – he has had only four starts – Con Speranza looms as a good long shot on Saturday and he could spice up those exotic bets.

Elsewhere on the card, two last-start winners also impressed on the training track. We are talking about City Gold Friend and Top Field.

Another one who had Nunes in the saddle, City Gold Friend was not extended when running out the 600m in 41.3.

Top Field went a little faster, clocking 41.1 for the same trip.

The pair will cross swords in the Class 5 race over the mile and, given their last-start shows, they could contest the finish.

City Gold Friend has been a good one for trainer David Kok. It was at his eighth start on Oct 7 that he broke through for his first win.

That was in an Open Maiden event and he slots in well for Saturday’s Class 5 jaunt over the mile.

As for Ong’s Top Field, he was a smart winner in Class 5 company on Oct 7. That day, he came from near last at the home turn to run them ragged at the finish.

That race was over the 1,800m. He tackles the mile on Saturday. It is about as short a trip as he would want.

But his form should compensate for that lack of distance.

He could be the one chasing down City Gold Friend in what could turn out to be an interesting Class 5 affair.

brian@sph.com.sg