Akhtar shows dazzling speed

When trainer Jason Ong finally sends Akhtar to the races, keep those binoculars focused on him.

Try not to blink – because you might lose sight of him.

That is, of course, if Akhtar brings the dazzling speed we saw at Thursday’s trials to the races.

On a morning when four trials were held, the four-year-old entire was the most impressive winner.

After being a tad slow out of the gates, he was clicked into action. By the time the field had covered 200m, he had stolen the lead.

From then, he waved goodbye to his seven rivals.

Clearing the 600m marker, Akhtar had six lengths to spare from Pacific General (Wong Chin Chuen). Ridden by his trainer Richard Lim, V’Invincible held third.

A furlong out and Akhtar had the trial all tied up in a neat bundle.

All that Manoel Nunes needed to do was guide the son of I Am Invincible to the line.

Eased up over the final 100m, Ong’s charge beat V’Invincible by almost three lengths, finishing in 1min 00.30sec.

Stephen Crutchley’s Show All Sixty-One (Shafrizal Saleh) was a long third, another 13 lengths away.

But, on the day, it was an efficient piece of trialling by the winner and Ong will now surely be thinking that it is time he finds a race for his youngster.

A winner over 1,400m in Australia, Akhtar was at his second Kranji trial on Thursday.

On June 22, he ran a close second to Ace Sovereign. But that day, he did it the hard way, coming from a midfield spot to finish off with a blistering burst.

Owned by the King Power Stable, Akhtar has been “well educated” and ready for his Kranji debut.

Akhtar was not the only one to show his rivals a clean pair of heels.

In the third jump-out of the morning, Pacific Snoopy led from go to whoa to bring up her first win at the trials.

The run was a vast improvement from a fading sixth in that same trial Ace Sovereign won.

Ridden by Wong and jumping from the innermost chute, Pacific Snoopy quickly found the front. At the 600m mark, she held Fortune Wheel and City Gold Telecom at bay.

In that run to the line, the challenges came. The Lim-trained Fortune Wheel went hell for leather in his attempt to reel in the leader.

It was never going to happen. On the day, the filly had too much in the tank and she took the trial by half a length.

It was not the swiftest of runs over the 1,000m, though.

She clocked 1min 0.48sec for the trip.

But it was a statement of intent. Pacific Snoopy can sprint.

When racing as Hellchat in Australia, she finished third in four of her six races – all over the sprints from 1,000m to 1,200m.

Watch for the swagger when she makes her Kranji debut. Pacific Snoopy looks like she is good to go.

The same could be said for Lightning Strike, who put up a good showing to take the final trial.

Ridden by Ronnie Stewart, he stalked the speed from the get-go. He held down third spot as Kranji First Hero (Nunes) and Sage Ridge (Marc Lerner) traded blows up front.

He held that spot right until the furlong mark when Stewart urged him into action.

In a flash, he had pulled alongside the front runners and it effectively broke their spirit.

They were never going to beat Lightning Strike, who cruised to the line a three-length winner from stablemate Maze (Amirul Ismadi).

A shout-out must also go to third-placed runner, Sirbring Colt.

The three-year-old lumbered out of the gates and sat near last when the field made that first sweeping left-hander at the far side.

He was still unsighted at the 400m mark until Jerlyn Seow set him alight at the furlong marker.

Suddenly, from being right out of it, Sirbring Colt was in the mix of things and eventually took third.

From Crutchley’s yard, Sirbring Colt finished down the course in his two outings to date.

But he is better than that and, given time, Crutchley could turn this sow’s ear into a silk purse.