Illustrious holds on to winning form

Two last-start winners from the red-hot barn of trainer Tim Fitzsimmons lit up an overcast training track at Kranji yesterday morning.

In separate gallops, they clocked identical times of 39.5sec for the 600m on the Polytrack.

Both were partnered by Kranji's in-form rider, Vlad Duric.

Illustrious, who is down to contest the penultimate event on Sunday, showed blistering speed in a 1,200m race on the Poly earlier this month.

With Duric doing the steering, the grey four-year-old by Top Echelon made it a barrier-to-box affair in a fast 1min 10.99sec.

The others tried to make a race of it, but it was not to be.

In the saddle, Duric enjoyed his sedan-chair ride and, when it was all done and dusted, Illustrious had won by six lengths.

It was his fourth win from just 12 starts and his third this season.

The handsome grey had, in February, posted his third career win and it was his first race-to-race double.

Both those wins were in Class 4 company and, if you are worried that he might find promotion to Class 3 a tough hurdle to clear, fear not. Illustrious is a horse going places.

He has tons of ability and, in Fitzsimmons, he has the right man to harness all that energy.

Come Sunday, and if you still watch the races in that time-honoured manner, keep those binoculars trained on the front runners.

Illustrious and his jockey, in the red and blue silks of the Buffalo Stable, should be leading the pack home.

Gold Cut also fits into the mould of Illustrious.

The four-year-old earned his Kranji stripes when he broke through to score on his sixth attempt.

That was on June 2 and he too did it in front-running fashion.

Yes, Duric was the man on the reins and the only navigating he had to do was to keep Gold Cut humming in front.

However, and unlike Illustrious' win a week later, Duric had a fight on his hands.

The others came at him but the veteran hoop summoned every last bit from his mount and Gold Cut prevailed.

Gold Cut has had the luxury of a three-week break and will come into Race 1 on Sunday all preened and powered up for a big show.

Also from the training track, clockers would have had good things to say about the Shane Baertschiger pair of From The Navy and Shanghai Star.

The duo clocked 38.2sec for the 600m trip.

Mohd Zaki was astride From The Navy, while Matthew Kellady rode Shanghai Star.

It is a pity that, barring a deadheat, there can only be one winner in a race.

We say this because Shanghai Star and Gold Cut will cross swords in the opening event.

If each brings their "A" game to the event, we could be in for a cracker.