Trainer John O’Hara is under no illusions his smart galloper Golden Brilliant faces a mammoth task when he lines up in the $300,000 Group 2 Stewards’ Cup (1400m) on Sunday, and it’s not just because of War Affair.

The Singapore Horse of the Year and recent Lion City Cup winner will no doubt be the raging favourite in the first Leg of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge, but O’Hara is saddled with another setback that compounds his problems even further.

Coming along nicely after his last-start win in a Benchmark 89 race over 1200m on April 26, his fifth success in only 10 outings, Golden Brilliant was being aimed at an ideal lead-up race on May 1, but an untimely infection scuttled his plans.

Missing out on that run meant O’Hara had to go back to the drawing board for the APS & Gloria Stable-owned US-bred gelding. You just can’t afford to go into a Group 2 race ill-prepared, more so when it was Golden Brilliant’s first run at Group level, with the likes of War Affair and Hughsy under weight-for-age conditions.

“I wanted to enter him three weeks ago in a 1200m race, but he had an infection setback and he had to stay at the stables,” said O’Hara.

“I have since given him two trials to make up for it. Saifudin (Ismail) rode him in both of his trials – the first one was just a soft trial while he won the second trial last week.

“But I think he will still struggle, especially against War Affair, as he didn’t have the best of preps. I think he’s fit enough and I just hope that he will run well.”

With last-start winning partner Manoel Nunes currently serving a one-month suspension, O’Hara had no hesitation in booking Saifudin for the job in the Stewards’ Cup.

The Malaysian jockey often combines with O’Hara and has also ridden Golden Brilliant in the past, once at his Kranji debut when they finished third.

“As Nunes was suspended and I have a good relationship with Saifudin, I gave him his chance to win a Group race, though we know it will be very tough,” said O’Hara.

Saifudin actually has a knack of repaying trainers’ faith in the rare occasions he gets booked in such ‘black type’ events. The latest case in point was when he rode the Michael Freedman-trained Spanish Bay to win the Group 2 Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic (1400m) on April 17.

“I am excited to be back on such a good horse. I am very happy with his trials especially after his (trial) win, and he seems to be in a good condition,” said Saifudin.

“Although I know War Affair will be hard to beat, I will still try my best as the horse is in good condition and he may put up a good fight.”

O’Hara has as usual left the riding tactics mostly to the experienced rider.

“I will just ask Saifudin to ride him in whatever position he likes,” said O’Hara.

“This horse tends to be difficult in the barriers and he misses the jump at times. So I can’t have a plan cast in stone.

“He shouldn’t have a problem with this distance and I would say he seems to do better on turf.”

Pending his run on Sunday, O’Hara will then decide if he will enter the son of My Greeley in the second Leg of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge, the $500,000 Group 1 Patron’s Bowl (1600m) on June 21, but the third Leg, the Group 1 Emirates Singapore Derby (2000m) is more or less ruled out.

“I will see how he pulls up before deciding if I should enter him in the second Leg but I probably won’t enter him in the Derby as it’s a little too long for him,” he said.

Meanwhile, O’Hara is busying himself with the horse who provided him with his first Derby success last year, Spalato, as well as the second Leg, the Patron’s Bowl. They skipped the Stewards’ Cup last year.

Spalato boasted an unblemished record of six wins in a row in Singapore but tasted defeat for the first time at his two runs in Hong Kong in December, including the Group 1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint. A pulled muscle in the hip area was detected shortly after, but he seems to have fully recovered now.

“He’s doing well and I am giving him full work now,” said O’Hara.

“I plan to run him early in July in either a Kranji Stakes A or an Open race over 1000m. Nunes will be back from suspension then and will probably ride him.”