Skywalk shines in classy trial

It was a high-class field which faced the starter in the third trial on Tuesday morning at the Kranji racecourse.

There were only six of them, but put them all together, and they boasted a combined rating of 566 points.

Yes, it was quite a line-up. Worthy of a mini-feature event. There was seven-time winner Skywalk at 95 points. He jumped from one. Next to him was New Year Cup winner Constant Justice at 102.

At 108 points and soon to gain membership to the million-dollar club, Distinctive Darci was in chute five while last year's Fortune Bowl winner, Clarton Super at 107, jumped from six.

Making up the field were two not-too-shabby combatants in Only Win (80 points) and the son of Sebring, Helioshpere, at 74.

So, off they went on their merry way. Skywalk, back on his game, got a jump on the rest and with Ben Thompson doing the steering, he showed them the way to the first turn. Constant Justice, ridden by Glen Boss, ranged alongside.

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Heliosphere muscled into the action, never giving an inch and never asking the big boys for one.

Then came the Mark Walker-trained Distinctive Darci. In the saddle, R Zawari kept him interested.

Three hundred metres out and Skywalk still had the lead. He had been doing it easy and, in the saddle, Thompson was a study in rhythm and balance.

Close to home, Heliosphere made a move. Under Daniel Moor's coaxing, he came at Skywalk. He wanted the win badly but Skywalk had the momentum and it carried him to a neck victory.

Heliosphere settled for second with Distinctive Darci slotting into that third spot.

Skywalk has not greeted the judge since July last year. But in his defence, trainer James Peters has been in no great hurry to put him through the grinder.

Indeed, Skywalk has raced just four times since that last victory and he has faced the starter just once this season. That was on New Year's Day and he beat two home.

Still, the break has done him good and it was a nice trial on Tuesday. Skywalk is better than that run in the New Year Cup seemed to suggest and you could be doing yourself a favour by keeping him on your precious list of horses to follow.

From that same trial, I liked the way Heliosphere went about his business.

He came grinding up the straight like an honest brawler and although he still young, he knows what the game's all about.