Trainer James Peters is hoping Noble Liaison can put behind his ligament issues and get back on track as he returns to racing this Sunday.

The Darci Brahma five-year-old has not been sighted since his closing second to Splice in a Class 4 race over 1400m on February 12.

Prior to that last run (his sixth), Noble Liaison had been on an upward spiral since his two wins recorded last year, including one on debut.

But then trouble struck, leaving Peters with no other choice but to give the Lim’s & Mark’s Stable-owned gelding a break.



Noble Liaison (Danny Beasley) has already shown his budding potential at Kranji, picture Singapore Turf Club

“He had a setback early in the year, mainly ligament treatment,” said the English handler.

“He’s a nice horse with a good turn of foot. The 1200m is a bit on the short side as he can get further but it’s a nice race to start him off.

“He was probably unlucky at his last two starts when he ran second. At his trials, he showed he had come back in good order.

“He’s meeting a strong field, anyway, and he’s also the top weight (58kgs), but from the way he’s trialled (two easy hit-outs under Peters’ apprentice jockey Pregasam Dellorto), I think he should run well first-up.”

Noble Liaison is resuming in Sunday’s penultimate race, the $60,000 Top Spin 2008 Stakes, a Class 4 Division 1 race over 1200m.

With regular partner Danny Beasley having hung up his boots to become a stable supervisor for trainer Daniel Meagher, Peters had to look elsewhere for a new rider and has booked one weekend-visiting jockey Daniel Moor on Noble Liaison.

Another horse Peters is banking on for positive signs this weekend is the China Horse Club-owned Julius Caesar.

The I Am Invincible four-year-old underwent a gelding operation after his disappointing third start, paving the way to a resounding win post-op as the even-money favourite in a Class 4 event over 1200m. The next run in a Kranji Stakes C race over 1200m on August 28 was, however, way below expectations – he beat one home.

After being freshened up, Julius Caesar will line up in Friday’s $60,000 Open Benchmark 67 race over 1100m on Polytrack. Peters picked the all-weather track for him going on a theory he is testing without really knowing if there is any substance to it.

“His two worst runs were both on turf. Maybe it’s just a coincidence or he just had a bad day, but I thought I might as well switch him back to Polytrack,” said ex-Kranji trainer and now Hong Kong-based Michael Freedman’s former assistant-trainer.

“At his last start, he was drawn wide and he was caught wide the whole way. It just didn’t work out well for him.

“The 1100m trip is possibly a bit sharp, but there was no other race for him. Craig Grylls will ride him as (regular rider) Vlad Duric has picked Splinter.

“He’s drawn wide again (10). Hopefully he has enough tactical speed to get into a good spot with cover.

“The gelding operation has definitely made him more focused. It’s a tough field but I hope he can bounce back to his best form.”