James Peters will get a good gauge where the Michael Freedman pair of Mighty Warrior and Titanium are headed in Friday’s $100,000 Open Benchmark 83 race over 1600m.

Time Odyssey will likely start as the raging favourite, but the young Englishman is confident his duo won’t be chasing shadows in the home straight.

Technically, they are not “his” yet as he only officially takes over as Freedman’s successor on April 1, but the changing of the guard had long been underway since the Australian trainer announced he was moving to Sydney last December.

The assistant-trainer and former senior track rider from Lambourn has done a remarkable job during the handover phase, churning out a steady stream of 11 winners, a testament to his solid grounding and natural ability to take on a higher responsibility.

Riding on the coattails of a powerful stable is one thing, strengthening on the foundation is another, and five-time winners Mighty Warrior and Titanium are only two among many to have thrived further under Peters’ care.

Mighty Warrior (x Savabeel) scored going away in a Kranji Stakes C race over 1600m on February 28 while Titanium (x Tavistock) came home from the clouds to run third first-up from a three-month layoff in an Open Benchmark 97 race over 1400m on February 12.

“I’m happy with both of them. Titanium is really well, he finished off that 1400m race very well and Mighty Warrior was impressive at his last win,” he said.

“It was a nice ride from Elione Chaves aboard Mighty Warrior and he will ride him again while Manoel Nunes will be back on Titanium (see other story).

“He rode him early on but has not been on him for a while, it didn’t quite work as he was suspended and all that, but it’s good of the owners to put him back on.

“The mile on Friday will suit Mighty Warrior to the ground but it’s a bit of a question mark for Titanium.

“I think he’s probably looking for longer, and the Short Course may be against him as well; he gets held up over 1400m and 1600m. He’s better off on the Long Course as he can then make up ground better.

“Anyway, both will be heading towards the 4YO series.”

The Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge kicks off with the Group 2 Stewards’ Cup (1400m) on May 29 and then moves to the Group 1 Patron’s Bowl (1600m) on June 19 and finally the Group 1 Emirates Singapore Derby (2000m) on July 10.

By then, Peters will already be a full-fledged trainer, but he comes up short in the feature race where he will most probably saddle the hot favourite. Magnum is widely tipped as the horse to beat in the first Leg of the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge, the Group 3 Dester Singapore Three-Year-Old Sprint (1200m) which will be run on March 27 - the last race meeting when Peters will assume the assistant-trainer role.

“Magnum has pulled up great since his last win (February 9). He will trial this Thursday,” he said.

“It’s all systems go towards the 3YO Sprint. It doesn’t matter if he’s running in my name or not, it’s the horse that matters and he sure is an exciting horse.”

While Titanium, Mighty Warrior and Magnum represent a legacy from the Freedman era, Peters has also worked on his networking skills, bringing in his own connections, none more prominent than liver surgeon Dr Tan Kai Chah along with his senior track rider Mick Lockett. The Hippocrates Stable currently have nine horses with Freedman, soon-to-be Peters.

English import Night Flight has already sealed the new partnership with a win and now Tassajara, a Japanese-bred six-year-old sprinter by Came Home, will make his Kranji debut in a Kranji Stakes C race over 1000m on Sunday.

“I don’t know much about his Japanese form other than he’s got three wins over short distances on dirt in Japan,” said Peters (Note: He was ridden at his last win at Sapporo by top Hong Kong-based Australian jockey Nash Rawiller during one of his short Japan stints in 2014).

“I was happy with his two trials with Oscar Chavez. He looks well and we’ll see how that form stacks up on Sunday.

“It’s always hard for a Class 3 horse to compete at such a level first-up and that’s why I’m putting a claimer, Amirul Ismadi, on him.”