With the benefit of hindsight, half-a-million dollars could have swung trainer Stephen Gray the other way when plotting Lim’s Cruiser’s racing career paths.

But at the end of the day, what mattered more to the New Zealander is the conviction that his multiple Group winner had been given the best prep possible once the Lion City Cup was cast in stone as his target race.

The Casino Prince five-year-old is the reigning Singapore champion sprinter courtesy of his dominant win in the same Group 1 race over 1200m last year.

Glen Boss takes Lim's Cruiser out for his workout on Tuesday morning.

However, Gray steered the Lim’s Stable star into a new racing direction shortly after: Longer distance feature races.

Lim’s Cruiser did not lose any admirers, his trademark turn of foot still evident, but just a touch less explosive. Try as he might, he could not quite cross the line first in races like the Group 1 Emirates Singapore Derby (2000m), the Group 1 Panasonic Kranji Mile (1600m), the Group 1 Raffles Cup (1800m).

The jury was still out if he should not have been kept to his first love, sprints. Gray had the December break to toss up his options before he hit the crossroads. In the end, he went back to basics, with a shot at back-to-back Lion City Cups the focal point.

On February 14, it was announced that the Kranji Mile would become an Invitational Group 1 race worth $500,000 more (from $1 million to $1.5 million) and was moved from May 20 to May 26.

Gray tried not to look in the rear-view mirror, but couldn’t help wondering if he would have not gone the other way had he known about that Kranji Mile upgrade.

“He’s always been a better sprinter, but he will get a mile in the right race,” he said.

“I had already given him a prep for sprint and I couldn’t change even for a $1.5 million race. We only found out about the Kranji Mile much later.

“He was a bit stiff at his run in the Merlion Trophy. He was first-up after a long break and was unlucky with the draw, while the winner Distinctive Darci was rock-hard fit and had a beautiful trip.

“Cruiser still came into the race well, but in the last 50m, he came to the end of it. He’s pulled up well and we couldn’t have done anymore with him since.

“Unfortunately he has drawn wide again (13). We’ll just have to accept the hand we’re dealt with.

“We will have to hold him up a bit, and we can also hope for a bit of rain on the day. I’ve also dropped the blinker-pacifiers that he wore for the Merlion Trophy, he is back on turf and will wear blinkers this time.”

Regardless of the result, Gray has not put a line through mile races in Lim’s Cruiser’s future racing agenda.

“There is a Group 3 race over 1600m in September (Moonbeam Vase on September 2) and we will go for that,” said Gray.

After jumping off Lim’s Cruiser after his gallop on Tuesday, jockey Glen Boss who was aboard at his last two starts, for one could not fault his condition. Ironically, the Australian jockey used the imagery of a beast his race is named after to describe Lim’s Cruiser’s current disposition.

“He is like a caged lion. We just have to keep him breathing till the race,” he said.

“He’s in great shape, he will bring his game face on.”