Depending on the galloper, horse racing is all about speed and stamina.

However, to the ardent racegoer, it is only about stamina – to last 13 races in an afternoon, especially when there appear to be some really good ones late on the card.

Like, Astro Nascente in Race 10, Banker’s Good and Sky King in the 12th and Mega Maximus in the 13th and last race of the day at Sungai Besi on May 10.

This quartet of runners were, on the morning of May 6, out on the training track putting in the finishing touches to their preparation for their assignments coming up.

From trainer Nick Selvan’s yard, Astro Nascente and Mega Maximus wound up their work for the morning with a sharp sprint over the 600m.

Matching strides the entire trip, they did the journey in 38sec.

A last-start winner when he nosed out Banker’s Super on April 18, Astro Nascente looks in a good place right now and being the speedy sort that he is, the drop in distance from 1,600m to 1,500m should suit the Time Test four-year-old just fine.

Stable companion Mega Maximus has still to break through for a first Malaysian win but he is getting there.

His last four runs have been indicative of a racer who is working diligently towards that maiden victory.

In two of those four races, the Star Turn three-year-old had to settle for second spot and, last time on April 5, he proved difficult to ride in the straight.

To his credit, jockey Lim Shung Uai managed to get him home fifth.

Lim has elected to stay with Mega Maximus, which could be taken as an indication as to his confidence in the grey gelding’s ability.

The wait till Race 13 will be long, but it might be worth your while to stick around as you might get to see Mega Maximus break his duck at his eighth attempt.

Set to face off in the penultimate event, Banker’s Good and Sky King served up notice of their race day intentions when, in separate pieces of work, they breezed up the last 600m in 38.8sec and 40.3sec respectively.

Like Mega Maximus, Banker’s Good is also working hard towards breaking through for a first Malaysian win.

To date, the best that racegoers have seen from the So You Think four-year-old was when he ran second to Sheng Ye in an Open maiden event over 1,500m at Sungai Besi on Feb 8.

Two runs later, on March 29, he ran third in a similar contest over the same course and distance.

He finished off the board at his last two starts but trainer Tiang Kim Choi has picked a winnable sort of race for his four-year-old, who will be ridden by jockey Jordan Mallyon.

As for Sky King, he gets a pull in the weights – 56.5kg to 58.5kg – over Banker’s Good and it should work in his favour.

A six-time starter while under the care of trainer Ooi Chin Chin, Sky King has yet to win a race but he is getting there.

The Embellish three-year-old’s last three starts produced three third-place finishes and, if anything, he deserves better.

Earlier, in the eighth event – which precedes the Chairman’s Trophy race – Billy Elliot will be looking to put together a race-to-race double.

The veteran of 10 wins last greeted the judge at his last start in a Class 4 race (1,020m) at Kuala Lumpur on March 8.

In preparation, he was out on the training track where he sizzled in a 36.6sec 600m workout. He had his race day jockey, Jose de Souza, doing the steering.

A nine-year-old chestnut by Per Incanto, Billy Elliot is getting on in years. But there is still loads of racing in those legs of his and, in his mind, it makes little difference that he has to take on Class 3 opposition on May 10.

To the old boy, it will be just another race and, perhaps, a super chance to get that 11th win at, what would be, his 49th race start.

Photo: Selangor Turf Club