Kranji fast catching up to Hong Kong benchmark
There isn't a lot that Singapore Turf Club can do about the weather, but the club seems to be making a proper job of its international meeting in other respects.
The Singapore Airlines International Cup and KrisFlyer Sprint were both unlucky to lose major drawcards in the days leading up but the Cup was certainly still a worthy international Group One even if the sprint looked disappointing. That happens with horses.
And the organisation of everything around the meeting - transport, provision of information, staging of track, racing and social functions connected to it - has been lifted sharply in recent years to be a decent copy of what Hong Kong provides for its international racing, and that is the benchmark.
Everything off the track happens seamlessly, the Singapore club is to be congratulated on it and it does look a meeting which will keep getting better.
The one criticism that did circulate was whether it was a great idea running your best race meeting of the year on the short course. We are not familiar with the track management or patterns of Kranji and so we can't buy into the discussion but if, as some said, the best, least draw-biased, circuit wasn't used to stage the night, it would demand some consideration.
And even if there is just no getting around the steamy tropical weather that is year round, Sunday's meeting did escape what approached looking like the end of days and turned out to be only a decent but short-lived shower.
