Real Efecto has emerged as the horse they will have to beat in Sunday’s main race and first highlight of the new season, the $70,000 Class 3 race over the Polytrack mile, but trainer David Kok is as usual treading with care.
The Singaporean handler is quite confident about the Real Impact four-year-old's level of fitness or the conditions of the contest, especially as a starting point to an ambitious long-range campaign in 2022, but he is more worried about any cat-and-mouse tactics that may unfold from a smallish field of eight horses.
One particular group of horses he will pay a closer attention to is trainer Ricardo Le Grange's trio of Pennywise, Senor Don and Leatherhead. Kok has enjoyed the Christmas break like everybody else, but it's clear holidays are over, especially as he's known to have got off the starting blocks with a bang before.
Kok, who did claim one Group 3 New Year Cup (1200m) with Speedy Dragon in 2018 when the traditional curtain raiser was still around, would know from prior experience. Senor Don and Leatherhead were among Real Efecto's rivals at his last start in a Kranji Stakes C race over 2000m on November 20, and did try to lay siege to the front section where they dropped anchor early.
If not for regular partner Danny Beasley thwarting those barely veiled plans of putting their rivals to sleep with a lightning-quick move midrace, Real Efecto might have well finished second best.
His decision to go eye-balling Senor Don from the 600m paved the way to a grinding staying test which Real Efecto eventually won by war of attrition.
It could have gone the other way, and that's why Kok is unsure whether the horse he part-owns can come off a repeat of that warfare with a fifth success this Sunday.
"He's dropping back in trip but it's okay as he's coming back from a freshen-up, and he loves the Polytrack," said Kok.
"He's also fit and well. I gave him a trial on Tuesday because Danny couldn't ride him in the one last Thursday as he was committed to Lim's Lightning, so he rode him in a 400m jumpout on Track 4 on Friday instead and this Tuesday's trial.
"It was important to me that Danny trials him at least once, as he knows the horse inside out, and as he also gives really good feedback. We work well together.
"It was a quiet trial as is my style, but I was happy with the way he ran. To me, he's maintained his shape and has worked enough to gun a good race first-up.
"But I'm a bit worried about the tactics in a small field. Ricardo has three horses in the race and we must make sure we don't let them control the race.
"In saying this, I'm not worried about barrier one even if he's quite a big horse. It's a small field, he should be able to find a way out."
Kok has always made it clear Real Efecto was bought with the Singapore Gold Cup in mind. November 19 is still some time away, but other big assignments will keep him busy on the road to gold.
"I will nominate him for the Kranji Mile (May 21), but it all depends. Danny will be committed to Lim's Lightning, we'll see," he said.
"As he's four, we'll definitely aim him towards the Four-Year-Old races, the Group 2 Stewards' Cup (1600m on June 26) and Group 1 Singapore Derby (1800m on July 17).
"All going well, it's then on to the Gold Cup. It's a race I've always wanted to win."
Kok is no stranger to four-year-old glory with Well Done claiming two Group 1 Legs of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge, the Patron's Bowl (1600m) and Emirates Singapore Derby (2000m) in 2016.
Incidentally, the first feature race Charles Leck's former assistant-trainer ever won in his 12-year training career was the Kranji Mile with Cash Luck in 2013 when the Group 1 race was then run as the first Leg of the Singapore Triple Crown series - and it happens to be his 'big-race jockey' who was aboard, Beasley.
