Trainer Donna Logan is hoping to see Deception unleash his potential over the mile this Saturday.
The Fortuna NZ Racing Stable-owned gelding is by brilliant sprinter I Am Invincible and out of staying mare Friday Hussy (x Hussonet). He has thus far placed in all five runs from 1100 to 1400m this year, with his Kiwi conditioner confident the mile will suit him to a tee.
Even when he was brought back in trip in a Restricted Maiden race over the 1200m at his last start about a week ago, the on-pace runner showed plenty of grit, but was just unlucky to get beaten by a head by Istataba.
"He has run three seconds at his last three runs (1200-1400m)," said the New Zealander handler, who also nominated Silent Is Gold in the same $75,000 Restricted Maiden race over 1600m on Saturday.
"If I hadn't run him in that 1200m race, it will be too long between races.
"Also, he's still a very green horse, so we ran him in that for educational purpose.
"That said, he's already indicated to us for quite some time that he's going to love the 1600m journey. He's a horse for the distance.
"He galloped this morning under CC (race-rider Wong Chin Chuen). He doesn't burn the track down in his gallop, he just does what he's supposed to do.
"He's quite relaxed, and CC gave us a favourable report this morning. He pulled up good and we're all very happy with him.
"He's three, so we'll look after him as he goes up in grade and next year, he could be the sort of horse for the Derby.
"A pity the Guineas is no longer, otherwise it'd have been perfect for him."
The Group 1 Singapore Guineas (1600m) was once the third Leg of the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge series, with the Group 3 Singapore Three-Year-Old Sprint (1200m) and Group 2 Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic (1400m) as the first and second leg respectively, but the series has since been called off.
Once slated as the final leg of the Singapore-Four-Year-Old Challenge series in which the Group 3 Silver Bowl (1400m) and Group 2 Stewards' Cup (1600m) made up the first two legs, the $400,000 Group 1 Singapore Derby is run over 1800m, but as a standalone feature race now.
Logan will be kept busy with a bumper team of 19 runners (in which four are emergency acceptors) spread over 10 races this weekend, most in the lesser Class 4 and 5 races, but Golden Flame should spearhead the charge in the $70,000 Class 3 race over 1400m, where he meets the resuming Real Efecto, King's Command, Sure Will Do and Lim's Bestbreaker.
When the seven-year-old son of Mossman ran first-up in a 1200m race in the same grade at his last start, he came from last to finish ninth behind Lucky Jinsha.
Logan expects the Golden Billion Stable-owned gelding to strip fitter this time with the extra furlong.
"The 1200m is too short for him. He loves the 1400m to a mile, that is his best distance," said the affable trainer at the barrier trials on Tuesday morning where she saddled an unraced five-year-old Irish-bred gelding, Rahotu, who went on to take out his second trial in impressive fashion under jockey Manoel Nunes.
"Yusoff (Fadzli) will stay on him. He's got the 3kgs claim.
"Also, he has ridden him a lot, so he knows him very well."
