Greatham Boy is in great order

With the bulk of the races on Oct 5 boasting near-capacity fields, the advice is this: Tread softly.

It is the last day of racing in Singapore and you do not want to come away lighter in the pocket. So, once again, proceed with caution.

And, once again, like we have been trying to do over the last few years, we will try to point you in the right direction from the training track.

Well, it was – as expected – a busy morning at the Kranji racecourse and, from the troop of horses sent out for trackwork, three were truly impressive.

They were Greatham Boy, Show All Sixty-One and Colonel Son.

Taking it from the top, Greatham Boy, who will see action in the Red Numbers Cup – a 1,200m sprint for Class2 horses – earned the most nods when covering the 600m in a breezy 39.8sec.

A four-year-old from Tim Fitzsimmons’ yard, Greatham Boy will have no weight on his back and, as always, that should play to his advantage.

The son of Stratosphere has been an honest sort throughout his career. Previously with Michael Clements, he was unbeaten in two starts, winning on debut over the 1,100m on June 17, 2023.

In quicksuccession, he then went on to take out the high-class Singapore Golden Horseshoe – a Group 3 race over 1,200m on turf.

When Clements packed it in, Greatham Boy moved over to Fitzsimmons’ yard and, like a good horse, he continued the good work.

He won three races for the Australian handler, the last one coming on June 30 when he broke Mt Niseko’s spirit with a pounding run over the final 100m.

That race was also run over 1,200m on turf and he will get similar conditions in Race 7 on Oct 5.

Sure, he comes up against some formidable rivals such as Ravalli, Lim’s Bighorn and last-start winner Asif.

But Greatham Boy is in that kind of form where you would expecthim to land a few punches – one of which could turn out to bea knockout blow.

As for that other good worker, Show All Sixty-One, he had jockey Daniel Moor in the saddle when he reeled off the 600m in a blisteringly swift 35.7.

Prepared by James Peters, the six-year-old has just one victory to show from 21 starts but his last few runs have been indicative of a big win coming his way.

Take that last-start effort on Sept 7. Show All Sixty-One had Kranji’s champion apprentice Jerlyn Seow doing the riding when beaten near the post by Creative Dreams.

In that Class 4 1,400m event, Seow had ridden a forward race and took the lead onsettling.

Going at a steady clip, Show All Sixty-One looked like he had it all wrapped up whenCreative Dreams, under a vigorousride from Manoel Nunes, came charging home over the final furlong to claim victory.

While it was a bitter blow, the connections of AJ’s Stable can take heart that Peters seems to have picked a winnable sort of race for the Rubick progeny this time round.

It is a Class 4 1,400m contest, slated as the penultimate event in the 10-race programme, and is named after that great sprinter Rocket Man.

Among others, he must do battle with the likes of October, Lim’s Dreamwalker and Lucky Goal.

But Show All Sixty-One – who has picked up minor purses in four of his last five starts – is overdue for a win and this assignment does look tailor-made for him.

He can handle the 1,400m and the turf track is where he does his best racing.

Then, from the stream of workers who turned out on Oct1, there was Colonel Son.

He went fast over the 600m, clocking 38.3.

Already a two-time winner, he deserves better.

Indeed, one could say he missed out on a third win at his last start on Sept 21 when, coming from dead last and having to travel wide for most of the trip, he flew home to lose out by only half-a-length to Pacific Victory in a Class 4 1,200m race on turf.

Trained by Richard Lim for the HKH No. 2 Stable, Colonel Son will see action in the opening event on the final day of Singapore racing.

As mentioned, he will have to weave a passage through a capacity field in that 1,200m sprint for Class 5 horses.

But the 16-horse race will be over the long course, which should suit the five-year-old Pariah gelding’s come-from-behind style of running.

Have him on your shortlist.

He could provide you with a winning boostfor the rest of the day’s racing which will culminate with the final running of the Grand Singapore Gold Cup.

brian@sph.com.g