Midway through November trainer Don Baertschiger was having some worrying moments.
Photo by Singapore Turf Club
With winners totalling just in the low 40's and having set himself a target of 50 for the season, Baertschiger was thinking where his next winner was going to come from.
Add to that a string of second placings and the Baertschiger stable was not in a comfortable place.
It is amazing how a winner can change your luck. The Baertschiger stable ended the rut of finishing second and recently ticked over the 50 winner mark for the year when My Friend Jo was successful on December 9.
Baertschiger will be looking to add to his tally on Sunday when he saddles last start winners Al's Knight and Dragon World at the final meeting of the season.
The unbeaten Al's Knight will contest the $75,000 Kranji Stakes C over 1100m while Dragon World faces a rise in grade when he lines-up in the $95,000 Open Benchmark 97 Stakes over 1200m.
Both races are to be run on the Polytrack.
A series of issues have restricted Al's Knight to just four career runs but he returned to racing with an impressive win on December 2 in a 1200m Class 3 event.
And according to the Baertschiger team the Fastnet Rock gelding has gone on with the form on the training track since his strong win.
Prior to the victory at his last start, Baertschiger was concerned with the fact that Al's Knight was showing signs of mucus when scoped before the race.
That was just one of a multitude of issues for Al's Knight which has included a sesamoid injury and a fractured shoulder before he had even raced.
“We had him scoped after he won the other day and there were no signs of the mucus anywhere,” said Baertschiger.
“We had been trying for ages to clear the problem up but it just wouldn't go away.
“We then just decided to run him and manage it the best we could and surprisingly it has all now cleared up.”
Baertschiger said Al's Knight had done well in the stable following his last start success but is a little guarded by the step up in class.
“He's trained on well and always does well in the stable,” said Baertschiger. “He never leaves an oat.
“It's a winnable race for him on Sunday but these Kranji Stakes C races are never easy to win.
“Plus he's coming back in trip and going up in weight, but he's in form and I'm sure he's going to run well again.”
Dragon World on the otherhand has also had his injury problems and broke through for a long overdue win when successful on November 20.
While the seven-year-old returned to winning form, Baertschiger is being cautious with the gelding.
“It's great to have him back in winning form again,” said Baertschiger. “He's trained on really well but he's meeting a pretty strong race.
“He's run OK on the Polytrack before but I'm just worried that he might get a bit lost on this track.”
Baertschiger will also be represented by former Hong Kong galloper Legend in the same race as Dragon World and said he would be surprised if the gelding won.
“He hasn't found his form since coming from Hong Kong,” said Baertschiger.
“He wants it further than this as well and I would like to see him run a bit better than what he has been doing at present.”
