Le Grange has stars for evening show

Trainer Ricardo Le Grange could hold the whip hand in Race 4 at Kranji's twilight meeting tomorrow.

Both his runners in the high-end Open Benchmark 83 race over the mile were impressive in their separate workouts yesterday morning.

Seasoned campaigner ODE TO JOY was full of running at the end of his run, clocking 36.3sec for the 600m while EXCELLENCY was equally strong when running the same distance in 37.3sec.

Ode To Joy had Barend Vorster on the reins while Nooresh Juglall took charge of Excellency.

ARGENTINIAN-BRED

A five-year-old Argentinian-bred, Ode To Joy extended his fan base with an impressive win last time out.

Humping 59kg and ridden by Vorster, he travelled one off the rails for most of the 1,400m trip and came widest for that run home.

He hit the front 100m out and it was all over. The $30 shot had them all beaten.

A genuine sort - he has five wins from 21 starts - Ode To Joy won a race around this time last year, beating Divided House over the 1,200m.

However, the mile holds no fears for him, having won over the trip early in his career.

Aside from yesterday's hit-out, Ode To Joy was sent to the trials last Thursday. He took things easy when third to The Nutcracker.

Stablemate Excellency looks like one of those young phenoms who could make the 2017 season exciting.

That said, he was lukewarm on debut - finishing a seven-length sixth in a race won by Golden Curl. That was on Jan 30 and it came after running an eye-catching second to Dance In The Wind in a trial just 11 days earlier.

He might need a run or two to get into fighting shape but it could pay to include him in those novelty bets. A cheque - big or small - should be in the mail next week.

IMPRESSIVE

Come Sunday, watch out also for AHMAR in Race 10 - a Kranji Stakes D sprint over the 1,200m.

The five-year-old looked impressive yesterday morning when running the 600m in a swift time of 35.8sec.

From Mark Walker's yard, Ahmar came in for inspired betting last time out and justified that confidence when second in a blanket finish to Constance's Spirit. That, after coming off the box seat and charging home over the concluding stages of the 1,400m trip.

By Sir Percy, Ahmar has been tasked with carrying topweight on Sunday but he will have Oscar Chavez on the reins and he does look to be in good enough shape for a more than decent show.