A career peak performance behind Lucky Nine last start leaves Emperor Max well placed to return to the winner's stall at Singapore on Sunday evening.
Successful in turning the tables on Zac Spirit to finish second in the Group 1 KrisFlyer International Sprint, the son of Holy Roman Emperor has continued to raise the bar this time in and does appear very hard to beat in the Group 2 Stewards' Cup.
Having saluted at his first five starts after joining Stephen Gray's stable back in August last year, Emperor Max has since finished second at his past three starts, two of which were in Group 1 company.
On Timeform ratings he has on average improved six pounds at each visit to the races highlighting the terrific training performance by Gray in the last eight months.
Stepping out beyond six furlongs for the first time since making the transition to Singapore is of some concern having failed to feature in two previous attempts in Australia.
However it is clear he is a vastly improved horse this time around and deserves another chance at seven furlongs.
Adding to that his last start performance in the KrisFlyer leaves him rated well clear of his rivals on Sunday and he does appear to have a distinct class edge.
On Timeform ratings he sits six pounds clear of his nearest rival and a repeat of his last start performance will see him winning and winning well.
While no knock on some of the progressive types in the field, the fact remains he is one of Singapore's highest rated gallopers and at level weights it's hard to build a case for any of his rivals on Sunday.
In-form jockey Corey Brown links aboard Emperor Max for the first time and will look to adopt a forward position from the favourable draw.
In a race which doesn't look to possess a lot of speed, Brown is expected to lead on Emperor Max as if able to reel off similar leading fractions to what he produced last start it's hard to see anything leading him on the weekend.
As a result he is expected to get a soft lead up front and given them all something to chase in the straight.
In what is arguably the easiest contest he has contested in sometime, Emperor Max does appear in store to continue Stephen Gray's great run of form at present.
The Patrick Shaw trained Johnny Guitar drops back noticeably in trip on Sunday but on bare form he still appears the next in line.
Simply outclassed in the Singapore International Cup last start, his efforts prior in the QE11 Cup and the Polytrack Mile Championship sees him rated the next best behind Emperor Max and if able to run up to his best form he does appear to have a mortgage on second place.
From the awkward draw he is expected to roll forward and settle just off the speed and finish right around the mark.
The Michael Freedman trained Holy Warrior hasn't been disgraced in recent efforts of late and gets the blinkers on for the first time on Sunday.
His effort to finish a narrow second two back was very good and he has since trialled well in the lead up.
While it remains to be seen whether he can even get close to Emperor Max on Sunday nonetheless he does appear a likely chance to fill the placings.
The David Hill trained Cordoba failed to live up to expectations last start however he still remains the best of the rest.
Touted as a serious Derby contender early on in this campaign there is no doubt he will improve further down the track and holds minor place claims on the weekend.
Good luck and happy punting.
