Hear the Tiger roar in Derby

With the second-run syndrome behind him and his vast improvement, Tiger Roar looks a good thing in today's $400,000 Group 1 Singapore Derby over 1,800m.

True, on his highest rating of 101, Lim's Kosciuszko is the best four-year-old in the race and Relentless, who beat him in the Group 2 Stewards' Cup, has jumped to second highest with a 13-point hike.

But the Derby is over 1,800m - 200m longer than the Stewards' Cup - and that appears to put Tiger Roar in a better advantage than his two closest rivals.

To put things in perspective, the Michael Clements-trained and Falcon Racing No. 7-owned Australian-bred, who is the next highest rated on 83, was finishing best of all in the Stewards' Cup.

He secured third placing, just three lengths behind Relentless.

That was an outstanding showing, considering that it was his second run after his long break to nurse a knee-chip surgery.

In his first outing after resuming from his 91/2-month rest, he came out fresh to score over 1,200m - which was not his cup of tea.

But Clements had him fit and fresh, and was duly rewarded.

Then, in just three weeks, Tiger Roar went over 400m longer for his Stewards' Cup bid.

It was quite a quick back-up, more so over a longer trip. The second-run syndrome has, more often than not, claimed a lot of victims.

So, to finish with the fastest sectionals for third just proves that Tiger Roar is no ordinary horse. A champion three-year-old in the last season, he has class written all over him.

Staying is more of his forte. He has won over the Derby journey, unlike Relentless and Lim's Kosciuszko.

No doubt Relentless has thrived further under leading trainer Tim Fitzsimmons and Daniel Meagher's Lim's Kosciuszko is a top horse in his own right, but both have yet to score beyond 1,600m.

Clements sounded upbeat on Tiger Roar's Derby chances.

The 2020 Singapore champion trainer pointed out that his charge "was the only horse making ground and he made considerable ground" in the Stewards' Cup.

"It was the mile last time and stepping up to the 1,800m is a positive. The trip is a question mark for his two main rivals," he said,

"We're on the long course this time as well. It's an extra couple of hundred metres run-in, which will suit him.

"He does take a bit of time to wind up and get going. Last time, we were on the short course over a mile."

Yes, the 1,800m over the long course and the third-run from a spell factor are Tiger Roar's biggest ticks to give Clements his second Derby success.

The Zimbabwe-born naturalised Singaporean captured the feature with Top Knight in 2020.

Relentless will again draw first blood with his early speed and will look the winner at some stage.

With luck, four-time Singapore champion Vlad Duric can knock out Lim's Kosciuszko first and then stave off Tiger Roar.

After all, the Derby is Relentless' ultimate goal. Winning the Stewards' Cup was a bonus, so said Fitzsimmons.

The leading trainer felt Relentless may not have the brilliance of Lim's Kosciuszko or Tiger Roar.

But his charge "is a dead-set 1,800m or 2,000m horse" and the whole preparation has been around the Derby.