Trainer Lee Freedman is setting Mr Dujardin for the Group 1 Singapore Guineas (1600m) on May 26 shortly after his sterling win over 2000m on Friday night.

The son of High Chaparral may have beaten only a Class 4 Non Premier field, but from the way he sliced through his rivals on his way towards a soft win, Freedman and owner Phua Chian Kin of Oscar Racing Stable are more than entitled to take aim at much loftier targets.

The $1 million Singapore Guineas, the third and final Leg of the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge, will be staged together with the new-look invitational $1.5 million Group 1 Kranji Mile (1600m) and $1 million Group 1 Lion City Cup (1200m) as part of a glamour dress rehearsal to next year’s intended return of International races.

Mr Dujardin (Michael Rodd) leaves his rivals reeling in Race 5, picture Singapore Turf Club

Right from the day Mr Dujardin registered his last-to-first debut win in a mile race on January 14, Freedman had always pigeon-holed the New Zealand-bred as a promising stayer in the making.

As he is also three, the Australian handler would not pass up on the only Leg of the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge that would be up his street.

“I really liked the way he burst through tonight. He is a very impressive horse,” said the man who has put the bridle on a long list of world-class horses over the years.

“I will give him a freshen-up and run him first-up in the Guineas. We know he has a turn of foot.”

Ridden by jockey Michael Rodd for the first time, Mr Dujardin, who was backed down to $9 favouritism, was put to sleep one-off the rails early, settling in midfield before ever so slightly improving from the half-mile.

Turning for home, the joint leaders Sun Empire (Mohd Zaki) and Mr Hopkins (A’Isisuhairi Kasim) swiftly called it a night, with Rich Beauty (Alan Munro) the first from the chasing pack to pounce.

The vastly-improved Daliapour mare had, however, not reckoned with the machine that did get jammed up between runners for a while after cornering, but whose afterburners had not been flicked on yet.

Once Mr Dujardin found the crack in the wall, the race was all over in a heartbeat.

Unleashing sizzling sectionals of 22.93 seconds inside the last 400m, the gelding had the race shot to pieces as he bounded away to a 2 ¼-length win from Rich Beauty with Yulong Honor (Nooresh Juglall) third another length away. The winning time was 2min 2.41secs for the 2000m on the Short Course.

“I didn’t want to be aggressive at all on him. I could have followed Alan Munro down the back, but I know he has the turn of foot to win this,” said Rodd.

“I got him off the rails, just to be sure he doesn’t get left behind. We couldn’t find a gap at the top of the straight, one horse was coming back on us, but once he got out, I knew he had the race in his keeping.

“He could be a Gold Cup horse with time. Short term, the Guineas is also a good race for him as it will be run on the Long Course, which will suit him.”

Mr Dujardin has now taken his record to two wins and one second place from four starts for prizemoney that has now grown to just under the $50,000 mark for the Oscar Racing Stable.