THE plaudits kept rolling in for Singapore sprinting sensation Rocket Man yesterday, but whether he beats Australian star Takeover Target tomorrow or not, the man who should know expects the mouth-watering clash to produce a track record, reports The Age newspaper.It says: The unbeaten Rocket Man clipped 0.2 seconds off Takeover Target's 1200-metre course record when he ran 1:08.6 seconds at Kranji earlier this year and long-time track manager, Raji Jayaraju, said the surface was in perfect orde

THE plaudits kept rolling in for Singapore sprinting sensation Rocket Man yesterday, but whether he beats Australian star Takeover Target tomorrow or not, the man who should know expects the mouth-watering clash to produce a track record, reports The Age newspaper.

It says: The unbeaten Rocket Man clipped 0.2 seconds off Takeover Target's 1200-metre course record when he ran 1:08.6 seconds at Kranji earlier this year and long-time track manager, Raji Jayaraju, said the surface was in perfect order for what is Singapore's most internationally noteworthy race.

Jayaraju, who has been the track manager of the Kranji course since it opened in 2000, said yesterday that Rocket Man was without doubt the best horse he had seen in Singapore, and his match-up with Takeover Target made it "highly likely they will break the record".

His prediction came after former Victorian trainer Don Baertschiger, who has been one of Singapore's leading trainers for the past 16 years, said he thought the local horse would beat Takeover Target.

"Rocket Man has been so impressive and there's more there, you would think," he said.

Another former Aussie trainer, Len Treloar, who has been at Kranji for five years, said Rocket Man was the best and fastest horse he'd seen in Singapore and good enough to travel to big sprint races in Hong Kong and England.

Despite the groundswell of local support for Rocket Man's first serious tilt on the international stage, Takeover Target's jockey, Jay Ford, was happy to talk up his horse, who has won in both hemispheres and in four countries.

"Last year Joe (Janiak, trainer) was always playing catch-up with him coming into this race, but this time he's had nearly the perfect preparation," he said. "This year I think he's fitter and better, but he'll need to be as the field is stronger."

Ford said the conditions of the group 1 sprint favoured Takeover Target over the emerging Rocket Man, who has raced just seven times.

Takeover Target, who has won more than $6 million in prizemoney, is certain to clinch Horse Of The Year honours in Australia if he can win in Singapore to go with his astonishing group 1 wins at Randwick and Morphettville in recent weeks.

He will be flown to England next week to prepare for the group 1 Golden Jubilee (1200 metres) at Royal Ascot on June 20.