Count me in, says Elite Invincible

It was just yesterday that we told you to keep the faith with Countofmontecristo in the Charity Bowl on Sunday.

It still holds. But now we're also telling you to be wary of Elite Invincible in the same race.

That, after the classy Irish-bred from trainer Mark Walker's yard turned in a great report card at trackwork yesterday morning.

Ridden by Vlad Duric, Elite Invincible never put a hoof wrong when, in the company of stablemate Storm Trooper (Craig Grylls), he ran the 600m in 38.2sec.

If anything, it would have topped him up for Sunday's million-dollar assignment.

Unlike Countofmontecristo, who seems to have lost his way and is finding it hard puting it together, Elite Invincible hasn't lost any of his navigational skills.

He still knows where the winning post is and he knows that it's the most important point on a racecourse.

We saw that 11 days ago when he gave his rivals a galloping lesson to land the Stewards' Cup - the first leg of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge and a race run over the 1,400m.

While the winning margin was just short of half a length, the manner in which he beat them all was inspiring.

Hitting the front 200m out was just part of the plan. What he didn't bargain for was Curvature refusing to give up the fight and Lim's Magic turning in such a barnstorming run.

But, like a good horse, he had seen the winning post and he soon made the contest unbearable for the chasing duo by just lifting the tempo with every stride.

Elite Invincible has been gold dust for his connections, having won four of his seven starts and missing the board just once.

He goes over the mile on Sunday. That's his territory. That's when he's most dangerous. That said, a first Group 1 win wouldn't raise any eyebrows.

Form, they say, is temporary. Quite true. But when a horse is holding his condition, it could spell trouble for his rivals.

One that fits the bill is Absolvido. A last-start winner, he would have earned the thumbs-up from his connections when he ran the 600m in 38.1sec yesterday morning.

It was an excellent winding-up gallop and, if anything, it would have put him right on track for a race-to-race double.

A handsome chestnut by Rip Van Winkle, Absolvido was backed down to favouritism at his last start and, if you were one of those who had a ticket with his name resting in your pocket, you would have had palpitations.

First of all, another horse messed up his start when it jumped outwards and into his path. It left him hopelessly lengths behind the second-last horse, his race strategy thrown into disarray.

To compound matters, he had to be eased back near the 350m when yet another runner shifted outwards.

To his credit, he picked himself up and, with Glen Boss riding hell for leather, weaved a passage through a packed field.

From being right out of it, he was right in it. And he kept lengthening strides to win by almost two lengths.

In that last throw of the dice, he had more desire than the rest.

And that's what we call class.

WORKOUTS BY HORSES RUNNING ON SUNDAY

RACE 1

Sacred Guru (A Collett) 37.9. El Camino 44.4. Gol Goal (M Kellady) 37.3. Money King 40.2.

RACE 2

Sonoran (K A'Isisuhairi) 39.2. Our Showcase 38.3. Fame Star (O Placais) 44.6. Giant Killing (CC Wong) 36.8. Royal Pavilion * (J Powell) 38.4.

RACE 3

Heartlight * (V Duric) 37.9. Sahaba * (D Moor) 42.8. Storm Trooper (C Grylls) 39.6. Reddot Rising 44.9. Clarton Treasure * (I Azhar) 37.8. Plato * Collett) 37.8. Longhu (Powell) 43.9.

RACE 4

Bringer Of War * (Duric) 37.6. Dazzling Speed * 36.3. Swedish Memories 37.4. Rafale (T* Koh) canter/pace work.

RACE 5

Nepean * (Kellady) 38.4. Colchester 39.9. Lord Of Cloud 39.8. Little Big Man (Placais) 40.8. Sacred Empire (Grylls) 37.8. Galileo's Approach (Kellady) 38.3. Southern Spur/pace work. Bandido 40.7. Sun Pittsburgh * (M Zaki) 39.6. Turquoise King 36.3.

RACE 6

Poseidon * (Powell) 38.4. Mr Fantastic * (Vorster) 36.6. Blue Swede * (Kellady) 38.4. Best Tothelign 44.6. Viviano * (Zawari) 34.8. Eragon 40.6. Iron Man * (Vorster) 37.6.

RACE 7

Hongchen 43.1. Classic * (Collett) 37.1. Smart Racer 39.8. Silent Prince 45.3. Oliver (Powell) 38.3.

RACE 8

Jupiter Gold * (Placais) 38.3. Elite Invincible * (Duric) 38.6. Only Win * 37.8. Mr Exchequer * (Powell) 37.3. Could Be Pearls * 37.6.

RACE 9

Gold City * 37.4. Chocolats (Kellady) 44.6. Zac Ace (Juglall)37.2. Magnificent Gold * 37.4. Star Jack * 36.3.

RACE 10

Sandtop (Zaki) 34.3. First Light (MM Firdaus) 34.7. Angel Halo * (Placais) 36.2. Sebastian Bach (Powell) 38.9. Silent Boss 42.8. Absolvido * 38.1. Ben Gunn (Grylls) 37.6. Copacabana * 37.6.