3 minute read
This year's $1.5 million Group 1 Kranji Mile (1600m) has drawn only two overseas raiders - Southern Legend and Singapore Sling, both from Hong Kong, but a few early birds - mainly trackwatchers - were still out there at 5am to catch a glimpse of the two challengers.
It was nothing too spectacular as Southern Legend just went about repeating the same routine that paved the way to his success in the inaugural race last year while Singapore Sling, who is raced by Singaporean interests linked with the Lucky Stable, also just came out for a stroll on the Polytrack, but certainly drew some curious stares for his interestingly locally-flavoured name.
Among the eight locals who will try and thwart the foreign assault this year, three (Blizzard, Preditor and King Louis) stepped out on the main training tracks while the rest all worked round the back, with Countofmontecristo the only one to get the stopwatches out of the pockets.
These timepieces should be put to better use tomorrow with more hit-outs expected from the locals.
Singapore Sling (HK) – Tony Millard
Slow canter for around three minutes under track rider Cheung Hiu Ming on Track 2, pulling up before home turn.
“He’ll do the same work as Horse Of Fortune (Kranji Mile runner-up to Southern Legend) last year. He’s already done all his work at home,” said Beverly Millard, wife of trainer Tony Millard, who unlike last year, is not riding trackwork (due to a recent leg surgery) but is overseeing the prep from the ground.
“He did his final gallop over 1400m on Friday. Karis Teetan rode him and was happy with the work; we’ll just keep him ticking over from now on.
“We’ll just keep him happy. He has travelled and done the South Africa, Mauritius, England quarantine on the way to Hong Kong, so he is not new to travelling.
“This morning, he just did some very slow canter. He changed his legs okay.
“He raced mostly in Johannesburg in South Africa and they go the right-hand way like in Hong Kong, but he did race the other way as well, he’s very adaptable.
“We might just step him up a touch tomorrow and if he was to have a blow, it’d be for Thursday.” 
Track rider Cheung Hiu Ming will be on his back right through before handing over to race-jockey Karis Teetan on Saturday. The Hong Kong lad was pleased with the Philanthropist five-year-old’s action on Monday, which was just a slight step-up from Sunday’s work.
“He’s settled in well here. He didn’t lose much weight; it’s the same as in Hong Kong now,” said Cheung.
“This morning, we did a nice and easy canter for 2min 50secs over 1 ½ laps. Yesterday we stopped before going into the turn, today we stopped before the home turn, so we did a little bit more.”
Southern Legend (HK) – Caspar Fownes
Cantered one lap under track rider Edward Leung on Track 2.
“He feels very good and I’m very happy,” said track rider Edward Leung.
“He didn’t lose much weight on the way here. He’s drinking and eating well, everything’s fine with him, and he’s already back to his normal weight around 525kgs.
“Yesterday (one day after arrival on Saturday), he went for a trot on Track 4. He’ll work a little quicker maybe on Wednesday.”
Defending champion Southern Legend (Edward Leung) is put through his paces on the Polytrack.
Blizzard (SG) – Lee Freedman
Cantered two laps going the other way (clockwise) on Track 3 under track rider Tatsuaki Fujinuma.
“Blizzard has been eating well, and he’s very fresh. That’s why we put him on the Hong Kong track (nickname given to Track 3),” said Chihiro Iizuka, filling in for trainer Lee Freedman who went to meet his first grandson William for the first time in Australia and will be back on Tuesday.
“He works on that track every Monday before he races. We’re trying a crossover noseband and we’ll see what the feedback is.
“He will gallop on Track 2 tomorrow. Daniel Moor will ride him.”
The Australian jockey is back from suspension this week, but will not partner Blizzard in the Kranji Mile as it’s Hong Kong-based South African jockey Aldo Domeyer who is flying in for the ride. Moor is booked on War Affair.
“Very happy with his work this morning. He did nothing wrong, he was very good,” said track rider Tatsuaki Fujinuma.
Countofmontecristo (SG) – Michael Clements
Breezed up on Track 6 with race-rider Glen Boss up, clocking 39.8 seconds in the last 600m.
“He had his final gallop on Track 6 today. Glen rode him and they went quite quick,” said trainer Michael Clements.
“He had a nice trial last Tuesday (May 14) and today was just nice to top it off. He won’t have a lot to do until raceday now.
“He will swim tomorrow, and it’ll be slow work on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.”
Debt Collector & Elite Excalibur (SG) – Cliff Brown
Both Debt Collector and Elite Excalibur trotted and cantered with track riders up on the uphill track.
“It was just trot and canter for both up the hill. Debt Collector will have a gallop tomorrow, but Elite Excalibur already galloped on Saturday,” said trainer Cliff Brown.
“It was perfect and he won’t gallop again.”
King Louis (SG) – Ricardo Le Grange
Cantered two laps with track rider up on Track 2.
“The horse is fine. He just went cantering over two laps on Track 2 this morning,” said trainer Ricardo Le Grange.
“All’s good with him. He will gallop at 6am tomorrow.”
Makanani (SG) – Hideyuki Takaoka
Two laps of canter on the uphill track with assistant-trainer and senior track rider Ryohei Hatano up.
“She had a quiet canter on the uphill track today, two laps and I rode her. She will gallop on Track 6 tomorrow morning,” said assistant-trainer Ryohei Hatano.
“It’s like the Hong Kong track (clockwise), which is good for her as she can be a bit keen.
“We always gallop our horses on Wednesday if they race on a Sunday – four days, but as the Kranji Mile is on Saturday, she will gallop tomorrow.
“(Race-rider) Marc Lerner will ride her and I will probably jump on another horse as work companion.
“She’s in good shape. She ran a terrific race at her last start (sixth to Elite Excalibur in the Group 3 Moonbeam Vase on May 5).
“She’s had a good prep but it’ll be still a tough race, especially with the two Hong Kong horses.”
Preditor (SG) – Shane Baertschiger
Easy lap of canter under track rider Osman around Track 2, finishing off with his head on the chest.
“John Powell never rides him in trackwork as he is quite hard-going,” said trainer Shane Baertschiger.
“He was pretty keen even when cantering, but he’s in good shape. He will gallop tomorrow.”
On a side note, Baertschiger said Powell just had a sore neck and sore ankle from his fall from Sebastian Bach behind the barriers on Sunday, and he should be able to recover to honour his rides on Preditor and Bold Thruster in the Group 1 Singapore Guineas.
War Affair (SG) – Bruce Marsh
Cantered over one lap with apprentice jockey Zyrul Nor Azman up on Track 4.
“He’s very well. Everything is good with him,” said trainer Bruce Marsh.
“We can’t expect too much from him over the mile against such horses, but there’s no reason why he can’t have a crack.
“We just have to keep him happy. Daniel Moor will be his rider on Saturday.”
