Lucky Jinsha duly primed for Sunday showdown

It has been said, good things come to those who wait.

So, it was, the ardent racegoers waited.

Nothing on Tuesday morning. Disappointment.

Then came Wednesday and there he was. Lucky Jinsha strutting onto the training track for one last stretch-out before Sunday’s assignment.

And for those at trackside, the wait was worth it.

Kranji’s 2022 Champion Polytrack Horse certainly seemed to enjoy those fleeting moments under the sun.

No doubt relishing the underfoot conditions, Lucky Jinsha breezed over the 600m in 39.5sec – leaving little to the imagination.

Yes, he does have his mind on the job.

And that is to justify all that praise heaped on him when the Singapore Racing Awards were handed out on March 21.

And what better way to do it than by beating his nemesis, King Arthur, in that 1,100m dash of the $100,000 Class 1 race on Sunday.

Trainer Tim Fitzsimmons would have been pleased with what he saw from his galloper.

After all, he left many of his fans lighter in the pocket when, as the $12 favourite in his first start of the season, he beat just one home over the short and sharp 1,100m.

But there were legitimate reasons for that “no-show”.

On the day, Lucky Jinsha had to race wide for most of the way and Fitzsimmons explained that his charge was not suited to the pressure he received during the race.

Well, all that is water under the bridge. Sunday is a new day and Kranji’s King of the Polytrack could, and should, get things right and, when Race 10 comes along, he could be looking at notching his ninth win.

Well, King Arthur will have something to say about it. But let’s leave that to the combatants and, right now, one thing is certain. They are both eager to get on with the job.

Also looking good in his preparation was Shanghai Star.

The Shane Baertschiger-trained runner pounded the synthetic track when running the 600m in 37.9.

Mohd Zaki was the man in the saddle and it was a good piece of work from the five-year-old, who gets into Race 4 as a last-start winner.

On March 18, Shanghai Star beat a competent Novice field which included the likes of Popeyethesailorman, Hole In One and Winning Stride, who eventually had to settle for second.

Ridden by Benny Woodworth, Shanghai Star ran his customary sort of race, lolling just off midfield – as if daydreaming – for most of the 1,400m trip before taking off deep in the final stretch.

It worked before, like when he opened his Kranji account on Aug 21, 2022.

That day, in a 1,200m sprint, he came from a long way back to justify that $9 win dividend. Shafrizal Saleh was on the reins.

Come April 16 and, for the first time in his short career, Shanghai Star goes over the 1,600m in a Class 4 event. Given his stalk-and-strike tactics, it is a trip which seems tailor-made for him.

So, if you are at Kranji on Sunday and if you still watch races the time-honoured way, keep your binoculars focused on the horse carrying the rider in those blue-and-white silks.

You could be witnessing another come-from-behind victory by this runner.

Another galloper who showed some cheek on the training track was Nineoneone. He worked in earnest, clocking 38.4 for the 600m.

Nineoneone is not going to Hollywood anytime soon but he is not a freeloader and could soon start paying for his keep at trainer Desmond Koh’s yard.

Nineoneone will see action in Race 3, which is the 2,000m contest for Class 5 stayers.

Much like Shanghai Star, he likes to save his best for late in the contest. That is when he sprouts wings.

Like he did when opening his Kranji account on Jan 28. For most of that race over the mile, he had just one runner behind him.

For a horse backed down to $10 on the win, it looked a lost cause until he charged home over the final furlong to consign long-time leader Summer Glitter to that bucket of also-rans.

After two unplaced outings leading into this race which is coming up, Nineoneone – with his luxury weight of just 51.5kg – could be the one mowing them down late in the contest.