Star galloper Quechua returned to form in a big way on Sunday evening proving too good for his rivals in the ninth event in Singapore.
A distinct model of consistency throughout his career Quechua had failed to showcase his best in recent efforts before a training masterstroke saw him bounce right back.
Quechua first failed to finish on the podium in last year's Singapore Gold Cup [2200m], when finishing fifth behind stablemate Cooptado.
On that occasion he proved very game in defeat when clearly unsuited at the weights, however his recent performances behind Laughing Gravy have been well short of his best.Unable to fire when sent out the $3.20 favourite in the Group 1 QEII Cup [2000m], Patrick Shaw elected to freshen up [42 days] the five-year-old and drop him back in trip.
Although conceding weight to all of his rivals and arguably unsuited over the mile, Quechua's class shone through when landing the eighth win of his career.Ridden by regular rider Corey Brown, Quechua took full advantage of the solid tempo set by the Shane Baertschiger trained Best Tothelign, relaxing beautifully at the rear of the field.
Urged along passing the 800m, Quechua pulled to the outside and although taking a while to wind up he continually made ground up the centre of the track.Spotting the leaders close to five lengths he really knuckled down late, edging out the Michael Freedman trained Spanish Bay right in the shadows of the post.
Quechua recorded a time of 46.29 seconds for that section [800m] and comparatively left a majority of his rivals standing still.
Even more impressive Quechua averaged 11.62 second 200m sections for the final 1200m, in summary his ability to sustain such a fast finishing speed over a prolonged period saw him reign supreme.His performance indicates he is certainly back on track and notably wasn't marked for off his career peak — a very positive sign for the Shaw camp moving forward.
The Group 2 Chairman’s Trophy [1800m] appears Quechua's next logical target and the return to weight for age certainly swings the race firmly in his favour.Laughing Gravy has certainly emerged as one of the new stars in Singapore, however Quechua's recent performance cannot be ignored and if able to repeat he is going to take plenty of beating.
The Michael Clements trained Knight Chen Bay also impressed on Sunday though not quite on the same scale.Formerly trained in Victoria the son of Hinchinbrook justified his heavy market support [$1.80F] when too sharp on-speed in the second event.
Ridden by Michael Rodd, Knight Chen Bay began well from the inside draw and travelled strongly behind race leader Changbai Mountain.Popped off the fence rounding the home turn, Knight Chen Bay had the race won a long way from home hitting the front inside the 400m.
Displaying a good turn of foot he quickly drew clear of his rivals and while somewhat tiring late he held on to score by 1.3L.In three starts in Australia [Old Name: Chen Bay], Knight Chen Bay finished second on every occasion and remains open to good improvement moving forward.
On career best form he has close to four lengths up his sleeve and given he was able to win in his Singapore debut Knight Chen Bay looks to have a bright future.Only Quechua returned stronger winning time figures on the day and Knight Chen Bay is certainly a galloper to stick with.