Walker Duo on Song

The Singapore Turf Club reports ahead of an important weekend ...

Leading trainer Mark Walker is reasonably optimistic about his two last-start winners in Viviano and Distinctive Darci who both run in Sunday's $250,000 Korea Racing Authority Trophy (1200m), while still remaining cautious about their winning chances.

While the hype is probably more around the up-and-coming Distinctive Darci, more so after the Darci Brahma three-year-old routed his rivals first-up from a four-month break in a Class 3 race over 1100m on July 7, Viviano, the more seasoned five-year-old by Keeper, is better off at the handicap.

It's the spectacular versus the consistent between the two stable companions, but Walker is confident both runners can play more than a bit part in the third running of the annual exchange race between the Singapore Turf Club and the Korea Racing Authority.

Distinctive Darci (Vlad Duric) takes up another challenge in the
Korea Racing Authority Trophy on Sunday

“Distinctive Darci picked up 10 points after his last win when he was first-up after a spell. The KRA Trophy is at set weights and he is a little out of the handicap,” said the Kiwi mentor.

“On his rating, he was out of the Kranji Stakes C race, but as he's a nice progressive horse and it's a $250,000 race, it would've been hard to stay in the box. I would have still preferred a handicap race for him.

“Besides, he goes well on Polytrack as he's won all his five races on that surface. I'm just a little bit cautious about him second-up when they go so well first-up.  But he had a solid trial before that first-up run, and I'm not too worried about the second-up run.

“As for Viviano, it's a different story as he was rated to 90 after his last win. We always had this race in mind for him and we're glad he just made the cut as he would have been ineligible if he was higher than 90.

“I couldn't be happier with the way he has pulled up after his last win (Benchmark 83 race over 1200m on June 9). He had a solid trial last week (beat Well Done by 2 ¼ lengths) and he's fit and well.

“It's the same thing for him, the race is worth $250,000 and it's good prizemoney worth going for.”

The 2015 Singapore champion trainer currently tops the Singapore trainer's log on 57 winners, having suddenly opened up a commanding break of 19 winners on the reigning champion Alwin Tan.

Walker, however, said it was too early to jump to any conclusion about the title race.

“We're doing well but I'm not even thinking about the title,” said the five-time New Zealand champion trainer.

“What matters more is we have a nice bunch of horses who keep winning one or two every week, and they add up, don't they?”

Distinctive Darci, who carries the famous yellow and green diagonals of Dato Terry Lee of Fairdeal Stable, will be ridden by his last-start winning partner Vlad Duric and will jump from barrier No 6.

Viviano will be reunited with jockey Derreck David, who won on him at his only association with him in a Benchmark 89 race over 1200m back in January. He will be loaded in one gate on the inside of his stablemate in No 5.