Singapore champ on trial for Hong Kong Mile bid
Singapore's champion sprinter-miler Ninetyfive Emperor chases his 11th successive win at Kranji racecourse tomorrow and only has to perform up to expectations to book himself a berth in the $14 million Hong Kong Mile on December 14.
The Australian-bred four-year-old has set Singapore abuzz with a record-breaking sequence of 10 victories, having gone through his entire three-year-old season undefeated. He now holds a local rating of 119.
Trainer Charles Leck has given the Rory's Jester gelding the all-clear to take his place in the $150,000 Star Prince Challenge (Gr 3, 1400m) on the opening day of the Singapore Gold Cup carnival. He will again be ridden by Singapore's five-time champion jockey, Saimee Jumaat.
Ninetyfive Emperor had his first serious workout in a 1,000m trial at Kranji two weeks ago and scored easily.
With Simon Price in the saddle - Saimee was out with a hand injury - the gelding shared the lead in the early stages before strolling to the lead at the 200m mark and going on to score by a half length. Despite the apparent ease of the victory, Ninetyfive Emperor clocked 1:01.27 for the 1000m trial - an outstanding figure on the artificial fibresand track and achieved without being asked to really extend. He backed it up with another smart trial on Tuesday.
'I was really pleased with the trial effort,' Leck said. 'At this stage it looks as if he has come back as good as ever.'
Leck is keen to find out just how good Ninetyfive Emperor really is, and he knows the only way to do so is to pit him against international competition.
'Even though he has won 10 races in a row, we really don't know how good he is,' Leck said. 'By running in Hong Kong, we will find out whether he is up to the best horses in the world. I am confident he won't disappoint.'
The $1.5 million Singapore Gold Cup on Sunday could also provide an International Races contender in the shape of Exaggerate, a vastly improved Zabeel gelding owned by Lucky Stable, the Singapore racing entity of property magnate Ng Teng-fong.
Ng, father of Hong Kong-based owner Robert Ng Chee-siong, raced Exaggerate in Australia, originally with Bart Cummings and then with Tony McEvoy, before sending him to John Meagher in Singapore.
This brother to Auckland Cup (Gr 1) winner Able Master was largely disappointing in Australia but has bloomed under Meagher's tutelage and has a huge chance of snaring the Gold Cup at 2,200m, despite having to shoulder 57 kilograms (126 pounds).
Exaggerate was not an early entry for the 2,400m Hong Kong Vase but is a strong chance to be supplemented at the second stage on November 25 if victorious on Sunday.
Shane Dye, back from his unsuccessful Melbourne Cup foray, will ride the Laurie Laxon-trained Dreyfuss in the Gold Cup.
However, Craig Williams' is unable to join him. Williams, who was to have ridden Lim's Reward in the race, apparently fell victim to a local rule that allows only 10 foreign riders to be licensed at any one time, even for a one-off occasion like the Gold Cup.
