In the wind down to the 2013 Singapore racing season, former leading Australian rider Corey Brown is starting to gain momentum for 2014 and that should continue at Kranji tonight.
Brown has several good mounts on the evening card but perhaps the best could be Lord Brompton in the open benchmark 83 handicap over 1600m on the poly.
Trained by Cliff Brown with whom Corey has started to build a nice strike rate with, Lord Brompton comes into the race third up from a 89 day spell but significantly is already proven in this company scoring impressively fresh up over 1400m on the turf course in mid-October.
On that occasion he sat well back early but worked home powerfully in the straight to defeat the handy Tom quite convincingly.
Then last start coming off a 37 day break he stepped up sharply in distance and class to the G1 Singapore Gold Cup over 2200m, something of a task in itself.
Despite those negatives Lord Brompton after a slow start and getting well back early in the race made steady headway up the home straight to finish just over five lengths from the winner Tropaios.
It is also noteworthy that Lord Brompton was a similar margin off Better Life in the G1 Singapore Derby (2000m) in July.
However the key to his chances tonight are threefold. Apart from being the highest rated horse on Timeform weight adjusted ratings in the race, he drops back to a suitable winning distance and Corey Brown jumps back into the saddle.
Lord Brompton is already a winner over the 1600m on the poly and Brown has won two of his four mounts atop the former Australian trained gelding.
I can see Lord Brompton getting a nice run from his low barrier draw and be ready to pounce once into the straight. He looks attractively weighted and is the horse to beat.
Two chances below him in the weights rate as the dangers Joyful Express and The Rude Warrior.
Joyous Express has been in top form of late and as a thee time poly winner and rates strongly off that form.
Three back he dead heated over 1700m on the poly in Kranji Stakes C company with stablemate Goliath who has since franked the form with a win in Kranji Stakes B grade then finishing close up in the G3 Colonel Chief Stakes last start behind Stepitup.
Taking a line through that form gives Joyous Express a strong winning hope this evening.
Last time out he finished not far behind Goliath in the Kranji Stakes B race and drops significantly in weight.
An added bonus is the engagement of Ivaldo Santana who is riding in peak form right now.
The Rude Warrior came off a 56 day break last time out to finish not far behind Flying Tempo over 1800m in Class 3 company on Cup day and he also tumbles considerably in weight this afternoon.
Prepared by David Kok, The Rude Warrior came into that race on the back of two good trials but there is no doubt he will take plenty of improvement from the effort.
His form prior to resumption was excellent behind the likes of Tiger Master and Holy Empire in class 3 company and also included a narrow defeat at the hands of Street Legal over 1800m on the poly.
Vagner Leal retains the mount and with just 52,5kgs on his back, The Rude Warrior will be in proceedings for a long way.
The top weight is the handy Dujardin who has been mixing it with better gallopers than he meets here in recent starts such as Stepitup last weekend in group three company and Tropaios in the Gold Cup.
His 59 kgs will be reduced by the 3 kilo claim for Ravindra Rueven and if he gets the right run is sure to be in the finish.
Dujardin is an accomplished poly performer winning two of his eight starts and the one barrier will enable him to be handy throughout.
Enjoy a competitive race.
