The eighth race on the card tonight at Kranji is the feature event and also a very good betting contest where chances abound.

The S$95K Open Benchmark 97 over 1200m on the poly has drawn a field of eleven and you could not say with confidence that any of the runners had no chance this evening.

There are a lot of overlapping form threads and interlocking formlines with usually weight and barrier the decisive factors along with who rode what and when.

It is also unusual in that the speed will come from wide out or the midfield as most of the inside barriers are not jump to the front or lock out the rest and hold the fence types.

I see some serious coming across action early and a surfeit of shuffling and jostling for early positions.

Hard to see a breather in the event too and the pressure will keep coming as not every runner will end up where the rider wants so going forward is the only option in a sprint race.

The last start win of El Milagro in the slick time of 58.33 for the 1000m was stupendous and he gapped them at the line despite sitting very wide handy.

Clearly having just 52kg helped and it was the sixth win in just twelve starts for the four-year-old from the Shane Baertschiger stable.

It has been a good 2012 for El Milagro with his seven starts so far yielding three wins and two placings plus a couple of fifths.

The placings have been very narrow defeats and the fifths came at G1 and G2, with each effort rather commendable behind the yardstick of younger horses in Singapore namely Super Easy.

Joao Moreira gets back atop El Milagro and yes the only other time he rode the sprinter it won, which is almost a given before even looking for research purposes these days!

A middle barrier and 52.5kg this evening are both helpful in this plus of course the icing on the wagering cake is the Moreira-factor or as let it ride bettors call it the Joao-mentum on raceday/racenight.

El Milagro has had six starts on the poly for five wins and a head defeat so he is an all weather titan.

The last start awesome win by El Milagro saw Barend Vorster ride and he tonight will pilot the Pat Shaw trained My Son, which looks some value in the race.

My Son is already a six-time poly winner and this experienced sprinter can really burn early if required and when it comes to speed duels this gelding just loves it.

Shaw must be having a quiet chuckle at seeing My Son in here tonight at 53.5kg as the nine-race winner does seem well weighted.

Gate nine is not a negative here as better to be able to charge early with the pace posse out wide coming over than have to be heeled up the inner all the time just to prevent being crossed and flushed out the back.

Two starts ago albeit on turf My Son beat a Benchmark 97 under 51.5kg by a big margin after speeding to the lead and some decent sprint names were left in his wake.

Vorster has won six times on My Son and knows how fast and for how long he can keep the throttle open atop the six-year-old.

He had a recent trial and finished fourth looking in grand order as all Shaw runners do and they have a vault full of best presented awards to prove it.

Niceone last start tried turf for the first time but spat out the bit like broccoli or brussels sprouts had been put on his plate and you can forget he went around.

The days of you cannot have any pudding until you eat all your vegetables are over and Niceone back on the poly will be feasting deluxe again on all weather desserts.

Two starts ago he was third in that torrid run 1000m won by El Milagro and he gave it 1.5kg so tonight with 2.5kg less and a 1kg claim we are looking at a colossal weight swing of 5kg.

Three starts ago Niceone won a Class Two under 51.5kg rather well and beat Speedy Cat (G3 placed twice since) and a rival again this evening in Cash Dot Com.

Niceone is a big strong four-year-old and from gate five is a chance for the apprentice rider atop, while Cash Dot Com from barrier ten will claim 2kg.

Cash Dot Com is 2kg better situated versus Niceone from that race and since the third has won a Kranji Stakes C to show the form threads are solid around many of the runners tonight.

Goal Keeper has a super record and the worst he has ever finished is fifth so failure too him is not an option.

He is a perfect five-from-five on the poly so in a sudden death penalty shoot out he will win as nothing gets past the goalkeeper.

If you want to see a fast beginner then this four-year-old is one of the slicker stall leavers and Danny Beasley will once again ride.

Since an impressive fresh up win in June over the gifted Red Beard (won his next start afterwards) Goal Keeper has had a single trial each month after for a win and two seconds.

The trial second in August was behind the G1 winner Ato and the second last month was behind Swagger.

The last two starts for Goal Keeper have seen him win easily from gates ten and eleven so the outside stall tonight is not a hardship at all.

A few runners in the field this evening are looking to erase failures at their last start or starts, with the likes of Masthead, Red Beard and Excavator all possessing ample ability.

They just happen to have drawn three of the four inside barriers so should get used to being passed early by a swarm of rivals zooming over and hopefully such sudden lane changes will involve a courtesy left-indicator!

El Milagro is well placed again and the faster they go the more his strength the run home comes into focus.

Niceone back on the poly will perform again and Goal Keeper has yet to taste defeat on the all weather.

My Son the overs chance for what is a Shaw and Vorster combination sprinter.

Enjoy what is a drag race field of some really big bangers in speed racing parlance.