High five on the cards for Pacific Emperor

Four on the trot and gunning for five in a row.

That must be the mission which Michael Clements has mapped out for his charge, Pacific Emperor.

But that is not the start and end of it all.

If Pacific Emperor were to string together his quintet of victories, he would have to perform on a big stage.

The Group 3 Rocket Man Sprint, to be run over 1,200m on turf, is the highlight on Sunday’s programme, and Clements could not have chosen a bigger occasion for his four-year-old to win over even more fans.

So, can Pacific Emperor pull it off? Well, all the signs are positive.

The Australian-bred has won over track and trip and when taking one of those races, he carried a huge load of 58kg.

Sunday’s 50kg will feel like a feather on his back.

And, coupled with the fact that his workout on Tuesday morning was impressive, it is safe to say that Clements’ runner will have busloads of friends at the betting booths.

Pacific Emperor had Wong Chin Chuen in the saddle when he turned up for his training gallop and the multiple winner did it nicely, covering the 600m in a breezy 41.5sec.

Pacific Emperor is truly a horse going places.

Then again, the Caravaggio four-year-old did arrive with a reputation, having had two starts in Australia for a win and a third placing.

That win was at Ballarat, where he raced as Smax. Before coming to Singapore, he finished third in a A$150,000 (S$133,700) sprint at Cranbourne in Melbourne.

After arriving in January with a rating of 58 points, he won on his Kranji debut three months later.

His last win on July 23 was a Class 2 affair over 1,400m.

Pacific Emperor’s form is on the up and up and a huge showing on Sunday will not surprise his connections.

Challenging him for honours will be – among others – Fame Star and Kharisma.

Both were out strutting their stuff on the training track and, on current form, neither could be faulted.

Fame Star worked with Jerlyn Seow on board when running the 600m in 36.1 while Kharisma was hardly extended when covering the same trip in 43.4.

The two “veterans” in the Rocket Man Sprint – Fame Star is eight while Kharisma is seven – are not without chances.

Both have won over 1,200m on grass and, while their recent performances will not have them riding high with racegoers, both can – on their day – raise their game and land a few punches.

Kharisma finished a close-up fourth to Mr Malek in the Class 1 Korea Racing Authority Trophy (1,200m) race on July 8.

Kharisma, who was held up and unable to improve his position from the 400m to the 200m, finished just two lengths behind the winner.

As for Fame Star, his recent form does not read like much – 10-10-6 – but here is the thing: if not accorded respect, he could scoot away and give the rest something to chase.

Away from the Rocket Man Sprint, there was a good piece of work put in by City Gold Telecom.

The son of Sebring had champion jockey Manoel Nunes doing the steering when covering the 600m in 38.2.

City Gold Telecom ran second on debut, losing out to stablemate and yet another City Gold Stable runner, Citygoldgeneration, in a tight finish.

If that was disappointing for his backers, he quickly made up for it by winning at his next start.

That was in a 1,200m contest on July 15. Backed down to $9, he must have given his backers palpitations when he was slow to leave the gates.

So, they must have risen from their seats when they saw Nunes fashion a run over the final furlong.

It brought City Gold Telecom to the front and, in the closing stages, his “class” came into play and he held off Tantheman to win by a neck.

As that was just his second race start, City Gold Telecom can only get better. And he looks to have Sunday’s contest – which is a $50,000 Class 4 sprint over 1,400m – at his mercy.