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Leading trainer Michael Clements has no less than five nominated runners in the $110,000 Group 3 Singapore Three-Year-Old Sprint (1200m) on Saturday and he reckoned that the feature race is a wide-open affair on paper.

Part of the reason for the open field in the first Leg of the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge series could be due to the fact that the highest-rated (72 points) three-year-old in Singapore – the Clements-trained Ejaz – was not in the 16-horse field due to knee injury.

While Clements laments the fact that Ejaz   - a winner of four from five starts – cannot show what he has to offer at Group level, Pacific Hero, Pacific Warrior, Coin Toss , Petrograd and Takanini were more than capable 'second-stringers'.

In fact, Pacific Hero, Coin Toss and Takanini were all last-start winners and they will have admirers in the betting, while Petrograd also franked his winning form at his previous start in a Class 4 race (1000m) on February 25.

Unlike his stablemates, Pacific Warrior will be making his Singapore debut but he looks like an exciting proposition with two Group 3 placings to his name – third in both the Up and Coming Stakes (1300m) on August 27 and the Ming Dynasty Quality Handicap (1400m) on September 10, 2022 - when trained by Hall of Fame trainer Chris Waller in Australia.

Clements could make a case for all five of them in the 3YO feature race, but if he were to single one out, the naturalised Singaporean handler thought that Coin Toss has the runs on the board to be his leading player.

"Yes, it is hard to split them," said Clements, who is currently attending the 2023 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in Sydney, Australia.

"But I think Coin Toss has done the mileage and would be the stable elect.

"The fact that he is fully acclimatised is in his favour. His two wins have been on the Polytrack – so the jury is out there - but there is no reason why he won't handle the turf.

"He galloped on the grass yesterday for (jockey) Harry (A'Isisuhairi Kasim) and is going really well at the races and on the track. He's heading in the right direction and I'm expecting him to go really well."

It was a positive push by the 2020 Singapore champion trainer for the son of Flying Artie, but should things go their way, all his charges can have a say.

"There's not much between them all on best form and a lot will depend on the barriers and the tempo," explained Clements.

"Pacific Hero  (x Exceed And Excel) showed at his last start that he can lead and win but it was only his second start in Singapore, so it has been a rushed preparation.

"In saying that, (the condition of) level weights suits and he's an interesting horse going forward. (Jockey) CC (Wong Chin Chuen) stays on and he (Pacific Hero) is a sprinter no doubt.

"Petrograd (x Russian Revolution) needs a good gate and a good tempo. He has a lot of ability but tends to do too much if he gets daylight too early. So if he draws well and get tucked away for (jockey) Calvin (Habib), he can run a race.

"(Jockey) Ronnie (Benny Woodworth) will ride Takanini who is a really straightforward type.

"Obviously he has only had the one run but he won that on the turf. He's Argentinian-bred (by Key Deputy) and was prepared really well before he arrived.

"He has done everything we have asked and stepped up every time so, while this is us throwing him in the deep end after just one run, he has shown that he is on the improve and should go well with luck."

The only Clements' runner with no exposed local form is the former Australian gelding in Pacific Warrior. According to the Zimbabwean-born conditioner, the horse previously known as Basquiat could run a big race first-up, albeit he will be better over longer.

"On ability, he will run a good race," said Clements of the son of Snitzel.

"He only won one race in Australia (in a Two-Year-Old Maiden Plate over 1615m on 30 May 2022) but he placed (third twice) in what looked to be good Group races and will get over more ground.

"This trip first-up will suit and he showed at his trial (finished first in trial no. 2 on March 30 in the time of 1 min 0.18secs) that he has acclimatised well.

"But while he showed speed at the trials, I think (jockey) Shafrizal (Saleh) will probably ride him off the pace and finish the race off strongly.

"He's a nice horse and has claims fresh in the (3YO) Sprint but he will be a player in the other Legs with this run under his belt."

The second and third Legs of the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge series are the Group 2 Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic (1400m) on April 29 and the Group 2 Singapore Guineas (1600m) on May 20.