The last two winners of the G3 Fortune Bowl in Singapore are in the 2013 field looking for that feature race moment to present itself again and be grabbed with both hands.
The field for the feature sees three trainers have double representation and it looks a decent betting contest with ten runners in total.
Race Ten is the S$200K G3 Fortune Bowl over 2000m on the short Course A Kranji turf track and does see the return of 2010 winner Fatkid and 2011 winner Tenzing go for repeated glory.
Laurie Laxon (Martin and Ready To Strike) and Pat Shaw (Lizarre and Maurice Utrillo) have two runners each as does Tan Hor Khoon in Fatkid and Make A Return.
This race has only been held at 2000m for the last three years with a mile being its former trip and no surprise to see Laxon has won three of them this century and Shaw a brace.
Hideyuki Takaoka won it with the talented mare Jolie’s Shinju in 2009 and her mile time is the fastest by well over a second or more than six lengths.
It was good to see the real Tenzing score last start in the G3 Woodlands Classic over 1800m on the turf as when injury free this Cliff Brown prepared gelding is very good.
He has kept climbing the mountain again and again despite setback after setback and as the defending Fortune Bowl winner Tenzing is the epitome of who dares wins.
Tenzing has won five of his twenty-three starts at Kranji (he won twice in Australia before coming to Singapore).
He is a win or nowhere type having never filled a place in Singapore.
A measure of how the gelding has never been afraid to dare to dream is the level he has contested at Kranji with thirteen times having run at G1, G2 or G3.
Now a dual winner at G3 he also finished fourth at G1 four starts ago so even up 1kg to 58kg today it is not beyond him to reach the summit for a third time.
Fatkid is clean winded so being third up here and rising 600m on last start is not an issue as he has done this before and successfully.
He won this race second up in 2010 and took out the G2 QE II (2000m) fresh up and finished third to Tenzing here last year in the Fortune Bowl basically third up.
I think the booking of Manoel Nunes is a big plus as he has shown this year that changing a plan midrace or even soon after the start is in his playbook and punters love that pro-active approach.
Nunes is daring enough to try and win a race before the home turn rather than run the risk of being overtaken late in it.
Fatkid is the eachway value in the field today drawn ideally.
The pair of Shaw runners are trifecta must includes as they are fit and turf proven with Lizarre having 3kg more than Maurice Utrillo being the key form fact to assess.
Lizarre after winning the G3 New Year Cup on the poly over 1900m two starts ago was second last time out behind Tenzing in the G3 Woodlands Classic (1800m) on the turf.
He rose 7kg and went from the all weather to the strathayr plus came back 100m so his runner up effort was commendable.
It makes Tenzing look good when they will carry the same weight again here.
Maurice Utrillo was a tad disappointing last start having gone well prior for third behind Lizarre when carrying 1.5kg more.
I notice Shaw has trialled the horse again since so was making sure of something to ease his mind and as I mentioned earlier with the 3kg pull from the stablemate here it makes for a swing in total of 4.5kg.
Barend Vorster will not be afraid to make a move with this buffer on most of the form runners and the G1 placed performer is the weight tip in the event.
Nandowra at 57kg is for once receiving some weight and with Joao Moreira atop you know the support will be strong and constant for this Michael Freedman trained runner.
Last start he finished third behind Tenzing and Lizarre at G3 when giving that pair 1kg and today gets that from them both for an appealing 2kg swing.
The 2000m is the query with Nandowra as it is past his limit for peak performance with his two failures coming at this trip and 2200m.
They were at G1 in the Derby and Gold Cup but the margin he got beaten in each does say stamina is not his strong suit.
If anyone can kid the big horse into getting the trip strongly then it is Moreira as he likes to save a bit on his mounts awaiting the challengers for not if but when they come.
Martin is a stayer and has the Derby on the horizon this year for sure so at 54kg and with Danny Beasley atop this is one of the up and comers Laxon has in his stable for a productive 2013.
Beasley won this race last year atop Tenzing so would like to go back-to-back and Martin has enough ability plus is yet to miss paying a dividend second up.
He has ridden the gelding five times for two wins and as many placings so is probably in line for the Derby ride at this stage.
This will be the first Group race Martin has contested but it will not be his last and Laxon likes to test them against the older warriors as it means when put back against his own age the battle is already half won.
I am not sure the other Derby aspirant The Rude Warrior has the quality to perform here at G3 having never won on the turf before and Make A Return is not up to this field for sure.
Ready To Strike was fourth at G3 two starts ago behind Lizarre and like the other Laxon runner is by Colombia (they can usually stay and swim).
He is an honest sort and in his last six starts has not finished worse than the first four with two wins, a very close second and three times fourth.
Mitre Peak is respected for the trainer and a solid record on the turf and at middle distances.
The last time he won a race was a year ago at 2000m on the turf with Alan Munro atop in what was then an Open Handicap and he defeated the talented Gingerbread Man.
I like Fatkid at longer odds and can see Tenzing now in form maintaining it.
The usual suspects of Nandowra and Lizarre have to be included while Maurice Utrillo at the weights just might be the more surefire Shaw runner.
May a fortune fill your bowl from this evening and thereafter.
