Commanding the win

COMMANDING CHIEF should use his superior middle-distance pace, remnants of his heyday in grade one, to land tomorrow's overnight allowance at 1300 metres - despite facing worthy rivals such as HOVER CRAFT, who has followed him down in class, and the in-form pair of RED FLAG and SHINING LIGHT.

Moved to Spencer Chung's barn in preparation for December's Diamond Mile, seven-year-old COMMANDING CHIEF failed to make any impression at the level where he had been rubbing shoulders with the country's best horses since he was a three-year-old.

Chung admitted he had to do a lot of work with the old stager who hadn't raced in three months. Though working well, COMMANDING CHIEF's ageing seven-year-old legs were no match for his younger rivals, but he did show glimpses of his old self when dropped to open allowance as an eight-year-old on January 23.

Racing against United States-bred LONG RUNNING TRAIN and CAMPESINO, COMMANDING CHIEF made a sweet move three furlongs out to go at the leaders. He straightened a length behind LONG RUNNING TRAIN in splits of 1:12.0 at a mile, but flattened out leaving the furlong pole, eventually finishing six lengths away in sixth place.

Now lowered to overnight allowance, COMMANDING CHIEF should be able to stalk rivals comfortably before making what should be a winning move off the home turn with Dane Nelson aboard again.

Champion trainer Wayne DaCosta's HOVER CRAFT had finished fourth behind LONG RUNNING TRAIN, CAMPESINO and ALL CORRECT, beating sixth-place COMMANDING CHIEF in January. However, that was at a mile, with the pace coming back inside the final furlong.

HOVER CRAFT is bound to be outsped with the likes of SHINING LIGHT and RED FLAG trying to slip the field. COMMANDING CHIEF, however, will relish sitting in the catbird seat to take charge from the stopping speedsters.