Capable gelding Lim’s Rally looks primed to find winning form at his third run from a spell in Singapore on Sunday night.
The gelding lines up in race nine over 1200 metres after two solid runs this time in work.
Lim’s Rally was first up for three months when he settled worse than midfield over 1200 metres on the turf on October 25.
Improving to fourth on the turn, the four-year-old was spotting the leader seven lengths before unleashing a strong finishing burst to run fourth beaten 1.7 lengths.
Lim’s Rally then stepped up to 1400 metres, again on the turf, for his second run of the campaign on November 15.
On that occasion he settled well back and was caught wide, again giving away a big start on the home turn.
Hooked to the outside he let down powerfully and hit the front in the straight but the tough run told and he was gunned down late by Room For Excuse with a 0.2L margin.
Third up tonight Lim’s Rally should now be at peak fitness and is drawn to settle closer to the rail from barrier two.
He drops back 200 metres in distance but that might be a positive after being run down last start and as a winner at the distance he is sure to be strong on the line.
A winner of four of his 12 career wins, Lim’s Rally has already won third-up and has the Timeform weight-adjusted rating to suggest this is a winnable assignment.
Jockey Soo Khoon Beng sticks with the Lim’s Rally tonight and has a good association with him, boasting a 44 per cent winning strike rate and 78 per cent place rate on the gelding.
One possible negative could be the switch to the all weather surface after running on the turf in both starts this time in.
Although a winner on the all weather, his one from three record isn’t as strong as his three wins and four placings in nine tries on the turf.
The improving Hades has a win and two placings from four runs on the all weather so could be one ready to capitalise.
He has improved his rating with each of four runs this time in and went to a new career peak with his latest victory, his second from his past three runs.
In that race he had to be eased in the straight and looked in trouble but when the gap came he surged through to snare a last-stride victory in impressive fashion.
While this shapes as a class test for Hades, he is a dual winner at this distance and does look capable of taking the next step.
The first up form of Brahma Circus gives him a hope of making a winning return.
Not seen since September, Brahma Circus’s best rating lines up attractively in this field, as does his first-up record of two wins and a placing in three campaigns.
Although only having won once in five runs at the distance, he has yet to miss a place over the trip and has similar career consistency, out of the placings only once in 14 starts.
He is another right at home on the all weather having run top three at all 11 tries on the surface.
The improving Golden Curl must also rate a mention after achieving a career peak rating when resuming in November.
Though that race was on the turf and over 1400 metres, he is a dual winner on the all weather and has won three times at the distance.
His latest win was the first time he has won fresh and he traditionally improves second up with a 50 per cent winning strike rate, so can be expected to progress again tonight.