By Alan Carasso
Before officials at the Singapore Turf Club pulled the plug on the jurisdiction's only two international Group 1 races in 2015, horses based in Hong Kong won the final three runnings of both the Singapore Airlines International Cup and KrisFlyer Sprint. While there was no representation in the latter event, the two Hong Kong entrants bossed their rivals in the S$1.5-million Kranji Mile with even-money Southern Legend (Aus) (Not a Single Doubt {Aus}) scampering clear by three decisive lengths over Horse of Fortune (SAf) (Stronghold {GB}). Nova Strike (NZ) (Red Giant), off at better than 120-1, fared best of the locals in third.
Drawn gate one for Zac Purton, nipping at the heels of Joao Moreira in the Hong Kong jockeys' premiership, Southern Legend was given a dig away from the stalls and shot through at the fence to take up the running in advance of 48-1 roughie Maximus (Lemon Drop Kid). The latter may have shaded the chalk for the lead as they raced past the 600m point, but Purton kept his powder dry, and when he called upon his mount to sprint inside the final quarter-mile, Southern Legend responded with a :22.75 final sectional to win off as much the best.
“It's great to win anywhere and Singapore's been a special place to me,” said Purton, who was in the saddle when Aerovelocity (NZ) (Pins {Aus}) won the 2015 KrisFlyer. “It's good for [trainer] Caspar [Fownes]'s stable to have another horse at this level.”
Fownes won the KrisFlyer on three occasions.
“I was just a little bit worried mid-race–Karis Teetan on Horse of Fortune kept kicking up in between myself and the horse that was three wide that kept trying to come across,” Purton added. “But my horse wasn't travelling too fiercely, I had him in a good rhythm and I knew, when I let him down at the 400, he'd be hard to beat.”
Pedigree Notes:
Southern Legend is one of 56 black-type winners for the enormously successful Not a Single Doubt and is a maternal grandson of SW & GSP Donna Natalia (Aus) (Anabaa), while the extended female family includes Group 1-winning sire Charge Forward (Aus) (Red Ransom). Donna's Appeal is the dam of a yearling full-brother to Southern Legend, that fetched A$185,000 from the Corumbene Stud consignment at this year's Inglis Easter Yearling Sale and a weanling full-sister. She was most recently bred on a late November cover to Exceed and Excel (Aus).
Saturday's Results:
KRANJI MILE S., S$1,500,000 (£836,671/€954,389/A$1,478,195/US$1,115,666), Kranji, 5-26, 3yo/up, 1600mT, 1:33.79, yl.
1–SOUTHERN LEGEND (AUS), 126, g, 5, Not a Single Doubt (Aus)–Donna's Appeal (Aus), by Carnegie (Ire). (A$280,000 Ylg '14 INGEAS). O-Boniface Ho Ka Kui; B-Corumbene Stud (NSW); T-Caspar Fownes; J-Zac Purton; S$892,500. Lifetime Record: SW & MGSP-Aus, G1SP-HK, 21-9-1-3, $1,876,784.[bullet ad=”irt-shell”]2–Horse of Fortune (SAf), 126, g, 7, Stronghold (GB)–Sweet Virginia (SAf), by Casey Tibbs (Ire). (R150,000 Ylg '12 CAPJAN). O-Fantastic Five Syndicate; B-Northfields Stud (Pty) Ltd; T-Tony Millard; S$318,750.
3–Nova Strike (NZ), 126, g, 5, Red Giant–La Panthere (NZ), by Generous (Ire). (NZ$60,000 2yo '14 NZBRTR). O-Nova Racing Stable; B-J G Simpson; T-H W Tan; S$161,250.
Margins: 3, 1, NK. Odds: 1.00, 8.40, 123.60.
Also Ran: Clarton Super (Aus), Infantry (NZ), Maximus, Preditor (NZ), Ocean Emperor (NZ), Circuit Land, Majestic Moments (NZ), Elite Excalibur (Aus), Volkstok'n'barrell (NZ), Iron Man (Arg).
Click for the Singapore Turf Club chart. VIDEO.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
