Consistent galloper Makin found himself in a bit of a pickle after assuming an unusual role in the $100,000 Class 1 (1,400m) race on Sept 21, but still came out tops.
Normally back off the speed in fourth or fifth, the Steven Burridge-trained five-year-old son of Written Tycoon was a lot closer stalking up the noted speed influence of the race, Pacific Vampire.
The switch in pattern was surprising, albeit not all that out of left field, but did look like it backfired at the 200m, though.
When regular partner Manoel Nunes popped the question at the top of the straight, there was no change of gears from the $7 favourite.
Pacific Vampire, who had yet to win over the trip and was even eyeing a Group 1 Grand Singapore Gold Cup (2,000m) berth on Oct 5, actually kept finding under Bruno Queiroz's urgings.
There was another school of thought behind the dour finish. Makin's early efforts to keep in touch with a speed demon had knocked the stuffing out of him.
With only 200m to go, trainer Jason Ong's bold gamble to push the distance envelope with Pacific Vampire - a four-time winner between 1,000m and 1,200m - was paying off.
But, just like he has done a few times before, the Impending five-year-old suddenly shortened strides barely a few metres later.
Denne historien er fra September 22, 2024-utgaven av The Straits Times.
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Denne historien er fra September 22, 2024-utgaven av The Straits Times.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Norris pips Verstappen to Singapore GP pole
Lando Norris' goal of getting his first Formula One Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix title and a first for McLaren since 2009 when Lewis Hamilton claimed victory -- was given a huge boost on Sept 21, when he edged out Red Bull's Max Verstappen to secure pole position.
S'pore unis' computing enrolment surges; stiff competition for jobs
Growing pool of such graduates soon entering a rapidly changing tech industry
Survey finds improvement in graciousness among neighbours
More are open to resolving disputes directly even as many report barriers to interaction
Tears and joy as bone marrow recipients meet their donors
When Mr Lim Wee Kiat was studying at Nanyang Technological University, he decided to impress a fellow student he had a crush on in an unusual way - by signing up as a bone marrow donor at a booth set up by the Bone Marrow Donor Programme (BMDP).
NO JOB, NO EDUCATION AND NO COUNTRY
Stateless young man seeks a better future here
Child abuse cases shine light on secretive Malaysian group
Police probing cult-linked group as an organised crime ring; 155 suspects detained
Malaysian King weeps over late son in meeting with China's Xi
The Malaysian King, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, became emotional when he told Chinese President Xi Jinping about his son who died in 2015 after battling liver cancer.
Medical Mysteries Man who doesn't drink alcohol gets drunk eating carbs
It was morning when the man was pulled over by the police, who assumed he was driving under the influence.
All eyes on Iswaran's trial set to begin on Sept 24
Former minister is first political office-holder in nearly five decades to be tried in court
UN urges states to use sway over Israel, Hezbollah to avoid war
UNITED NATIONS - A top United Nations official on Sept. 20 urged all countries with influence over Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah \"to leverage it now\" to avoid an escalation of Middle East violence that she warned could dwarf the devastation seen so far.