Mr Malek gears up for comeback
Freedman-trained 3YO impresses at trackwork
It was the lull before the storm, so to speak.
Only nine horses went against the clock on Monday morning, giving clockers at trackside the big yawns.
But yesterday morning, it was a completely different scenario.
The clockers woke up from their slumber by the sound of the Kranji battalion which trooped out in droves to give them a nightmarish time.
A couple of hundred horses galloped in earnest in preparation for the 2020 Singapore racing season, which kicks off on New Year's Day.
Newly crowned three-time Singapore champion trainer Mark Walker and runner-up Michael Clements hogged the limelight with their smart performers the last few mornings.
Not to be outdone, last year's champion and recent Dester Singapore Gold Cup-winning Lee Freedman took centrestage yesterday by exhibiting his many highly charged horses on the training track.
Among his star workers were the Oscar Racing Stable pair of Mr Malek and Mr Alejandro.
Oscar Racing Stable, which names its horses after Academy Award winners, captured the Dester Singapore Gold Cup with Mr Clint last month.
Mr Malek and Mr Alejandro clocked 37.6sec for 600m. They travelled eagerly.
The two fresh horses seemed to have benefited from their break. With a bit more fine-tuning, they should be ready to make their presence felt in the new season.
Mr Malek has not raced since winning second-up on Aug 11. He ran third first-up.
His victory was full of merit.
Ridden by Perth jockey Patrick Moloney, the three-year-old New Zealand-bred sat on the pace beautifully before closing in from the top of the straight to win big.
At the post, he was 43/4 lengths clear of runner-up Supermax. His winning time of 1min 09.66sec for the 1,200m on turf was noteworthy.
What's more, there was plenty of form which came out from that race.
Supermax, Iron Ruler (third), Water Rocket (fourth) and Meryl (fifth) franked the form by going on to score.
Mr Malek, who went for a break, has now come back fresh and is picking up from where he left off.
Although Mr Alejandro has yet to win, he has proven to be honest and consistent.
He found one to beat at his last two starts - beaten by Ping Pong and then Strong N Powerful. He was third at his debut and fourth second-up.
Using the same franking-form yardstick, Mr Alejandro's last-start second on Oct 25 stands him in good stead.
His conqueror, Strong N Powerful, went on to complete a double, while Meryl, who finished third behind him, also progressed to score.
His turn could be next.
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