Today's Group One KrisFlyer Sprint in Singapore, featuring Hong Kong stars Sacred Kingdom and Inspiration, will probably be the best sprint race in the world this year, according to the head of the International Racing Bureau.
Adrian Beaumont, whose company is a key partner to the successful staging of these international race meetings, believes today's event will establish a quality benchmark for 2009 which can only be bettered by the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint in December.
'It's a big statement, I know, but with Takeover Target, Sacred Kingdom, Inspiration and this exciting local horse Rocket Man, this will be the best KrisFlyer Sprint to date and probably the best sprint anywhere in the world this year,' Beaumont said.
'I doubt any of the big sprints in Europe over the summer will measure up to it, and if there is a better race for the year I doubt we'll see it until the Hong Kong Sprint.'
Sacred Kingdom and Inspiration are the last two winners of the Hong Kong Sprint, with Sacred Kingdom's dominance in 2007 earning him an international rating of 123 and tag of world's best sprinter for good measure.
Inspiration won his Hong Kong Sprint last December in a 50-1 upset and it was a significantly lower-rating affair. However, the John Moore-trained chestnut returned in the early spring to win another Group One, the Centenary Sprint Cup (1,000m), to quieten his critics and tighten his grip on the title of being Hong Kong's best sprinter for 2008-09.