Racing: Top Gun heads the cast in Sunday's 'Novice'

Top gun, the likely favourite in an interesting "Novice" sprint on Sunday, showed up on the training track at Kranji yesterday morning and duly impressed with a "top" gallop.

The three-year-old cantered one round before apprentice Z Zuriman stepped on the gas. Top Gun responded to run the last 600m in 37.7sec.

A former "Malaysian" galloper who did his racing under Ipoh's "fat man" Stephen Cook, Top Gun was an instant hit in his Kranji debut one and a half months ago.

Alas, for his backers, he failed to win first-up when he was caught close home by Hardcore Rock - after being shouted the winner 200m out in that 1,200m sprint on the turf.

NO ANSWER

That was on Oct 26. He had his next start on Nov 23, but he had no answer to the bang-in-form galloper Best Tothelign and eventually had to settle for another placing when he took second spot, barely a length behind the stylish winner.

We say it's an "interesting" Novice event in Race 10 on Sunday because the Australian-bred Top Gun comes up against a field which seems to be overflowing on exposed form.

In particular, many will be watching to see how EVA'S DAY performs in this, her second Kranji start.

The filly by Domesday routed her rivals on debut, giving Lisa Allpress an armchair ride in that all-the-way effort over 1,100m on Oct 9.

Eva's Day came out of her two-month break to turn in an impressive workout on Tuesday morning when, with E Aslam in the irons, she ran the 600m in 40.1sec. Barend Vorster takes the reins on Sunday.

Yes, Top Gun will have his work cut out for him but one other thing's certain. Come Sunday, trainer Bruce Marsh will have him looking like a million bucks.

This article was first published on Dec 04, 2014.
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