Kranji Sprint in Sky Eye's sights

With two wins at his last two starts and shooting for a hat-trick, Sky Eye made his intentions known on Tuesday morning with an inspiring gallop on the training track.

Taken out by Wong Chin Chuen, who has been the “go to” rider at Kranji but has been suspended for careless riding, Sky Eye was not out to get his name into the record books.

But, that said, he did not put a hoof wrong when running the 600m in a nice and neat 41.9sec.

We reckon his trainer, Jason Lim, would have been pleased with his stable star.

And he would have sent word to Sky Eye’s owner, Gan Gim Chuan, that all is on track for a Saturday show under Bernardo Pinheiro, who has a one ride-one win record on the horse.

Sky Eye has been a money-spinner. Like all good horses, he has delivered the goods with regularity.

Should he get his hat-trick in the Singapore Group 3 Kranji Sprint (1,200m), it would be his 10th win.

Sky Eye gets into Saturday’s $110,000 contest on the back of a good win in a Class 1 sprint on May 20.

That day, when all eyes were on the runners who would line up for the million-dollar Kranji Mile, Sky Eye was content to do his thing in the next best race on the undercard.

And what a show it turned out to be.

“CC” had the ride and he took no prisoners.

Out of the chute in a flash, he easily found the front.

Once there, he never allowed his rivals to get a whiff of his withers.

And it was a talented bunch of rivals who were chasing him down.

Among those he beat that day were a couple that he will have to take on in the Kranji Sprint.

They are the fans’ favourite, King Arthur, and the reliable Kharisma.

Yes, while trainer Lim does look to have a good one in Sky Eye, the six-year-old will have to beat the rest with top weight of 57kg.

That is 1.5kg more than what King Arthur and Kharisma will have on their backs and trainers Donna Logan and Stephen Gray might like to think that it could make the difference.

Well, they could be right.

Both contenders were on the training track for their hit-outs and trackwatchers would have liked what they saw of the pair.

King Arthur had his good pal Yusoff Fadzli doing the navigating, while Marc Lerner was on board Kharisma.

Also shooting for a 10th win at Kranji, King Arthur was in fine form when breezing over the 600m in 39.8.

As for Kharisma, he was out late on the track and, with the Frenchman keeping him on a good hold, he ran out the trip in an even 40.

Both will have busloads of fans and, together with the topweight, they look like a neat trifecta – with Kharisma sweetening the pot.

King Arthur was a good thing beaten at his last start on May 20.

Sent off as the $20 second pick in the race won by Sky Eye, he never landed a blow and seemed to weaken under the big weight of 59kg.

He eventually finished an uncharacteristic eighth in the field of 10.

The vet reported him lame off-fore.

As for Kharisma, he seems to have lost his way to the winners’ circle but he always runs an honest race and must be considered for those novelty bets.

One horse out to gun down the trio is Gray’s Silent Is Gold, a strong chance with only 53kg on his back.

The last-start winner, too, galloped well in 38.2 with Ronnie Stewart astride.

On the undercard, keep an eye on Prioritize in the Class 4 in the 2,000m race for stayers.

Another one from Gray’s yard, Prioritize found one to beat in Free Fallin’ when backed down to $7 on May 14.

It was a disappointment for his backers but they should stick with him on Saturday.

Prioritize put in an eye-catching show when running the 600m in 36.6.

Given his style of running – and he does seem to finish off his races well – he should enjoy his second tilt at 2,000m.

It was on April 8 when he finished third to Wind Trail over that trip.

That day, when having to race wide, he was just half a length behind the winner. Manoel Nunes was the man in the saddle.

At four years old, Prioritize is still a work in progress and Gray seems to have him heading in the right direction.

His forte appears to be the distance races and it will not come as any surprise to see him make Saturday’s contest his own.