Singapore Cup attracts eight international, three local entries

Singapore Cup attracts eight international, three local

entries

The $2.25 million Singapore Cup,

the richest race ever to be staged in the country, has

attracted 11 entries from four countries for the 1800-meter contest at

Kranji Racecourse on Sunday, February 22.

Eight internationally based runners -- three from the United States and Australia and two

from France -- will join a trio of horses conditioned locally in

the inaugural running of the event.

The highest-rated entrant is the Christophe

Clement-trained Parranda (English Channel). A three-time stakes winner

while under the care of Rodolfo Garcia, the six-year-old chestnut was acquired

by Jerry Hollendorfer and partners and, once moved to

California, won the Wilshire S. (G3) and Royal Heroine S. (G2) while runner-up in the Rodeo Drive S.

(G1). She was also third to Iotapa (Afleet Alex) in the Clement L. Hirsch

S. (G1) in a single all-weather appearance.

Both Iotapa and Parranda were subsequently knocked down to the China Horse

Club (CHC) at the Fasig-Tipton November sale, with the former going for $2.8

million and the latter bringing $800,000. In her first appearance for her new connections,

Parranda proved a handy winner of the January 10 Marshua's River S. (G3) at Gulfstream

Park.

Joining the six-year-old on the trip to Singapore will be multiple Grade

3-scoring stablemate My Option (Belong to Me),

while dual stakes victress Bajan (Speightstown), third in last year's Santa Anita Oaks

(G1), will be saddled for the first time by English trainer Roger Varian.

Nicolas Clement, the elder France-based brother of

Christophe Clement, will also be represented in the Singapore Cup by Ming

Zhi Cosmos (Duke of Marmalade), popular winner of the Premio Sergio Cumani

(Ity-G3) in Milan last September.

Australian

trainer John Thompson is two-fisted for the Cup, as he will saddle

a pair of French-bred stayers, both by Le Havre. Auvray won the 3000-meter Prix Chaudenay

(Fr-G2) at Longchamp on October 4

and later that evening topped the Arqana Arc Sale on a bid of

€800,000 from the CHC's Michael Wallace. Orbec won the Grand Prix de Clairefontaine

over 2500 meters of

heavy turf at Deauville on August 29 and was the third highest-priced

lot at the Arc sale at €600,000.

The three horses trained at Kranji by Michael Freedman

include British import Tropaios (Excellent Art), who made headlines when annexing the prestigious Singapore Gold Cup

in the China Horse Club silks back in November 2013.

The China Equine Cultural Festival takes place in

Singapore during Chinese New Year celebrations Saturday and Sunday,

February 21-22.

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