Lazel Khwalsingh

PHILIP FEANNY's RAISE A RUCKUS is the hot favourite for tomorrow's 1400-metre overnight allowance but trainer Lazel Khwalsingh has high hopes for UNDAUNTED, who continues to show signs of regaining form in the care of his new trainer.

UNDAUNTED was one of four horses who gave Khwalsingh four wins in as many racedays earlier this season.

His hot streak started when NASATOL upset rivals at 6-1 in the opening event on January 30. The next raceday, February 5, he landed UNDAUNTED at 13-1, beating stablemate NASATOL.

On Saturday, February 12, he scored with DANCING SAM and won with VENICE MELLESA the following Wednesday.

He hasn't won another race since but he came close when he pushed UNDAUNTED up in class to take on overnight allowance runners on March 2.

The five-year-old horse finished a length and a half third behind NEW KINGSTON and VON ALMIGHTY at 1700 metres.

Khwalsingh believes he can nurse the once highly thought of runner back to winning ways in overnight allowance company.

a series of wins

At the backend of the 2009 season, UNDAUNTED was on a roll, racking a series of wins under the care of Richie Todd.

After landing a 1820-metre event in a speedy 1:55.4 in August, the railbirds were quietly touting him as "the Superstakes horse". In October, he returned to finish ahead of classy SAINT CECELIA going a mile, beaten by REGAL SENSATION in a fast 1:38.1.

However, his owner got an offer he could not refuse and UNDAUNTED was sold, moving to Anthony Nunes' barn.

At Nunes' barn, UNDAUNTED had setbacks and never raced again until October 2010, more than a year later. His comeback never happened, failing in five attempts to win under Nunes' care.

In stepped Khwalsingh at the start of this year.

"UNDAUNTED's story is a long one. I bought him privately and took a lot of criticism. Everybody said I gave away my money," he told STAR Sports recently.

"I ran him three weeks later to find out what his problem was then I went through him. His condition came up pretty well and I knew he couldn't lose. I expect great things from him so the trainers expecting to see him on a $550,000 tag can take their minds off him."

Khwalsingh was true to his words. After beating NASATOL on a $550,000 tag on February 5, UNDAUNTED ran a cracker behind NEW KINGSTON and VON ALMIGHTY, keeping his rivals honest throughout the stretch run and back to the wire.

Tomorrow, he hopes UNDAUNTED will signal a return to the winners' enclosure for his small barn.

Khwalsingh has in his care as many horses as the eyes can see in one glance at barn 35 at Caymanas Park.

That's because he has been assigned six stalls from "19-how long", as he put it. Khwalsingh's early season form prompted rumours of him 'shotting' his horses, a backstretch term for performance-enhancing drugs.

"I hear all sort of foolishness about the place about having the 'shot' - which 'shot'," he asked?

"What I realised was that my claiming horses at $250,000 were running consistently but basically earning, not winning. So I sat down in January and worked through a programme.

"I decided to drop who I had at $250,000 to $180,000, cut my losses and win those races. Those who can win at $250,000, I keep them there and higher," he explained. "I found everything started falling into place and that's it.

"DANCING SAM gave me a lot of problems so I changed the method of training and dropped him in class. I followed the same with VENICE MELLESA," he pointed out.