The Lee Freedman trained Circuit Mission failed to fill the placings in his Singapore debut, however the future is certainly bright for the son of High Chaparral.

Formerly based in the UK under the care of Hugo Palmer [Old Name: Curiosity], Circuit Mission won two of his eight starts, including four minor placings.

He notably finished second in The Brittania [1600m] at Royal Ascot and also finished second at the July Cup meeting.

Leaving the UK shores Rated 108 by Timeform, he is already one of the highest rated horses in Singapore and has been given every chance by the handicapper off a mark of 65.

Lining up over 1200m on debut for Freedman, Circuit Mission was beaten just under two lengths, though he clearly should have won.

Ridden by CC Wong, Circuit Mission was desperately unlucky, how he managed to finish fourth, I still don’t know.

Settled towards the rear, Circuit Mission tracked up along the inside, before virtually being stopped in his tracks.

Forced to wait and come to the outside, he picked up very well late, savaging the line over the concluding stages.

Although a winner over 1200m at his second start, he will no doubt be better over further and in all honesty he should be favourite for the Derby.

He returned a Timeform rating of 69, indicating just how much improvement he has to come.

Worth noting a Timeform rating of 108 would see you in the finish of every Derby run to date.

Barring Quechua who returned a rating of 114 in 2015, generally 109 has been the sweet spot for past Derby winners.

Admittedly it’s never easy with these imports, as more often than not they struggle to recapture their best form.

However in his favour, he is only lightly raced (nine starts) and is under the care of the best trainer in Singapore [Lee Freedman].

Regardless of whether he gets back to a mark of 108, he is expected to be winning many races, kicking off with the fifth event this evening.

He only went into his debut off the one trial and is sure to relish the step up to 1400m.

Ben Thompson takes over from Wong and he should get plenty of room from the draw.

At the weights he is extremely well placed and only needs even luck to be winning – he is a very exciting prospect.

The Cliff Brown trained Gold Strike won well first up and shapes as the main danger.

Only lightly raced, he was won three of his eight starts and with Rodd sticking aboard, he looms as a major threat.

The Stephen Gray trained Our Pinnacle raced in good order last preparation and cannot be taken lightly with Moor booked.

He is already a winner at the course and distance and while drawn off the track, he still has to be respected.

Of the rest Yulong Edition appears the next in line.

Good luck and happy punting.