In an ideal world, the pathway to two Group 1 2,000m events four weeks apart should comprise a couple of shorter warm-up races, even for an out-and-out stayer.
Former Kranji stalwart Dream Alliance did not have that luxury. The strapping chestnut's prep was wedged into a compressed lead time because of his transfer to Kuala Lumpur following his last-start fourth in Singapore's farewell race, the Grand Singapore Gold Cup (2,000m) on Oct 5.
Not to mention his new trainer Richard Lim was also part of that stable migration, and like horses, also needed to find his bearings at his new Sungai Besi digs.
When the former jockey was handed Dream Alliance after his original trainer Tim Fitzsimmons returned to Australia to pursue his career, he knew he had his Piala Emas Sultan Selangor (Dec 1) and Penang Gold Cup (Dec 29) horse.
But with his 36 Kranji horses booked to reach their new home only by the end of November, he always knew he would be in a race against time to get the Into Mischief four-time winner into the two 2,000m contests with at least one prep run under the belt.
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