Trainer Leslie Khoo has been toying with Singapore Derby ideas for Claudia’s Beauty for a while, especially after the four-year-old mare’s slashing last win, but thought why not take a throw at the stumps in the earlier Leg of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge as well, the Charity Bowl.

The Singaporean handler, who is still chasing his first hometown silverware since setting up shop at Kranji in 2008 (he used to train in Ipoh), initially thought the Australian-bred daughter of Daliapour would not make the cut in the Group 1 mile race known as Patron’s Bowl until last year.

But after a hike of six points following that last win in a Class 3 race (1600m) on June 8 saw her ratings shoot to 74 points, Claudia’s Beauty will indeed be facing the starter on Sunday.

Claudia's Beauty (Glen Boss) comes out tops in a Class 3 race at her last start, picture Singapore Turf Club

No disrespect to the likes of Easter Mate, Magic Wand or Za’eem she has been mixing it with, alongside in the gates this time will be some names a few notches bigger - first Leg winner (Stewards’ Cup) Elite Invincible, Countofmontecristo or the classy back-in-form Jupiter Gold.

Khoo knows the Lucky Stable-owned mare will need more than luck to become the inaugural winner of the Charity Bowl, but one could still read a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

“I’ve actually set her for the Derby as I think she’s more of a 1800m-2000m mare, but there was a chance to run in the Charity Bowl, and we thought why not?” said Khoo who won the Singapore Derby with Grand Illusion in 1988 and came agonisingly close to landing it as a trainer with Fastnet Dragon when a smack-up third to War Affair in 2015.

“It’s a tough field she will run against, but she’s an up-and-coming mare and has maintained her form. She gets a 1.5kg allowance for mares (55.5kgs against 57kgs for males), which is better than nothing.

“I asked Ryan Curatolo (won on her at her first win in January) to ride her, but he was already booked. It’s CC Wong (Chin Chuen) who will ride her in the end.

“It will be the first time CC will ride her. He galloped her this morning and I was happy with that piece of work.”

The two-time Singapore champion apprentice jockey jumped off saying that Claudia’s Beauty, who was paired up with a stablemate, was very responsive when given a squeeze on the Polytrack.

“I was riding Leslie’s mare for the first time today. It was a very nice workout,” said Wong.

“She worked very hard in the straight.”

The Charity Bowl did not undergo just a change name as its purse was also increased from $500,000 to $1 million.