Former leading three-year-old Sir Isaac made a successful racing comeback in emphatic fashion on Friday night.

Unsighted since his unplaced run in the third Leg of the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge, the Group 1 Singapore Guineas (1600m) in May, the Dream Ahead four-year-old, who put in two solid runs in the first two shorter Legs over 1200m and 1400m, stamped his authority with a withering run inside the last 300m.

Settled at the rear by regular partner Michael Rodd, Sir Isaac gathered in his rivals one by one at the top of the straight to hit the front with 200m to go.



Michael Rodd cheers as Sir Isaac races away to an easy win first-up from a break, picture Singapore Turf Club

Though he was off and gone by then, the $24 shot still had that slight tendency to be a little complacent in the concluding stages, but still won comfortably by 2 ¼ lengths from Mighty Conqueror (Zawari Razali) with Golden Tomahawk (Vlad Duric) third another half-a-length away. The winning time was 1min 4.53secs for the 1100m on the Polytrack.

Winning trainer Cliff Brown, who was at his only runner for the night, was delighted Sir Isaac, whom he has always rated highly, had bounced straight back to the winner’s enclosure first-up from his three-month spell. His trademark self-deprecating style was again apparent at the press debrief.

“I trained him badly last time. He is a dead-set sprinter and I trained him to run a mile!” said the Australian who is always candid about any mistakes he makes.

“If you go back to his three-year-old runs at the first two Legs, he looked like he was trained to get the mile.

“But he’s come back good and is going really well. He trialled good and his gallop was great.

“I’m very happy he’s won tonight. He’s a tremendous lovely horse, but I have absolutely nothing planned for him, just canter around with him.”

Rodd jumped off saying he was a little apprehensive when Sir Isaac charged at the top of the line in the home straight, but his better tractability saw him home and hosed.

“I thought I got there too early, and at the 50m, I thought maybe he was a bit tired. I kept at him hard and he got the job done,” said the Australian jockey.

“He can be a hard horse to ride, but he was very strong tonight, very tractable. I think he’s finally learned to settle better, he’s the real package.

“He’s a good trialler on the Polytrack and that’s why this race suited him tonight. He can just roll into it but he goes well on grass, too.”

Besides taking his prizemoney level past the $200,000 mark for the Sir Isaac Stable, Sir Isaac’s win was also handing a perfect 36th birthday present to Brown’s assistant-trainer Tim Fitzsimmons.