Zac Kasa and Rocket Star in rattling form
EW Barker Trophy runners work towards Sunday's Group 2 1,400m feature
Twice before, in the last decade, trainer Cliff Brown posed for pictures with Mrs Gloria Barker and her children on the podium fronting the grandstand.
That, after his horses claimed the trophy named in honour of the late Law Minister and Singapore Turf Club chairman, EW Barker.
What Now, ridden by the great Joao Moreira, did the honours in 2012 and, more recently, in 2018, Brown was successful with Mister Yeoh.
He had three runners in last year's contest - Mister Yeoh, included - but Fame Star, from John O'Hara's yard, was a deserving winner.
Again, like it was last year, Brown has entered three runners for the 1,400m race and Zac Kasa looks to be the pick from his pack. The other two are Gold Star and Pax Animi.
Zac Kasa was one of many "Trophy" runners on the training track yesterday morning and he drew some attention to his chances with a 600m gallop in 38.8sec. That, after a round of cantering.
Underrated when packaged together with the likes of Inferno and, say, Countofmontecristo, Zac Kasa will not be punching above his weight in a feature race like the EW Barker.
Indeed, one has only to look back to this race in 2018.
That day, Zac Kasa was one of two entries from Brown's yard and, as it turned out, Brown saddled the quinella with Mister Yeoh taking the honours and Zac Kasa finishing second.
He had earlier that year played second fiddle behind Lim's Cruiser in the Group 1 Lion City Cup.
Zac Kasa gets into the Barker line-up with a luxury weight of 52.5kg and Brown has him in rattling form. Yes, Zac Kasa looks good to go. It will not be a Sunday stroll but he will be at the business end of things - trading blows with the rest.
Rocket Star, an up-and-coming talent from Ricardo Le Grange's barn, is another who will have plenty of admirers.
And why not? His form coming into this race cannot be faulted and his work on the training track yesterday morning will enhance his stock.
Rocket Star had champion jockey Vlad Duric in the saddle when running 600m in 38.1sec.
Like the bulk of the field, he slots in with just 50kg. That is a real luxury for a horse who, in his last five outings since the "restart" to the season, has had to hump 57kg and more.
He had 59kg on his back when winning in Class 4 in July. He then carried 57kg when second to Mr Malek in Class 3 and 57kg again when second to Inferno in the Group 1 Singapore Guineas.
The 50kg he has to carry in Sunday's $250,000 race will seem like the proverbial feather on his back.
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