Racing: Singapore race a long shot

Winx was targeted by opposition tactics on Saturday but still won anyway. Photo / Getty Images

Gary Hennessy is keen to look at the S$3 million ($3.15m) Kranji Mile in Singapore in May with Ocean Emperor, winner of Saturday's $100,000 Windsor Park Japan International Trophy at Matamata.

It probably won't happen.

A couple of years ago, Singapore ceased running their invitation international races and only recently decided to reintroduce them.

However, the Singapore Turf Club has decreed this year will be a "soft" reintroduction, with 2019 being the real-deal "hard" reintroduction.

Ideally the club is looking to boost its own horse numbers, with two invitations from Hong Kong and the possibility of a further two if suitable horses can be identified with an international rating of 112 or greater.

There lies the problem. Ocean Emperor received 5 rating points for Saturday's win, but now on 99 he is still well astray of the threshold.

Allan Sharrock was eyeing the Kranji Mile with Kawi who, despite his outstanding race record, sits on only 109 in international ratings.

But guidelines can change and if insufficient numbers are not forthcoming to fill the field, the Singapore Turf Club might still consider Ocean Emperor.

"He does most of his work on the treadmill - he had a saddle on only once this week," said Hennessy yesterday, "so obviously I'd have to be looking at what is available for him during two weeks of quarantine."

Ocean Emperor could not be described as an everyday horse, but is excellent on his day. Hennessy blames the recent 80504 formline on big weights and unsuitable conditions. The 57kg the Zabeel stallion carried Saturday is the lightest in his last five starts.

Ocean Emperor managed what was a difficult, holding surface at Matamata. Plenty didn't. Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman produced three runners in that feature, Coldplay, Nicoletta and Highlad, and all three finished out of the placings.

"We'll just have to forget about that race, they were never in it because of the footing."

Baker has bittersweet memories of Saturday's A$600,000 Rosehill Guineas. The stable's Vodafone Derby winner Vin De Dance finished second, later relegated to fourth, but from an Australian Derby perspective, it was an enormous effort. Vin De Dance and Jason Waddell were in a push and shove incident 200m after the start, but it was in the home straight that the pair got into official trouble.

Vin De Dance ended trailing the leaders, poked through the inside approaching the turn, but looked beaten at 375m. Typical of his racing style, Vin De Dance started to come back and drew level. Perhaps because of tiredness he bore out and blocked out the fourth placed Furore, later promoted to third and Vin De Dance relegated. Waddell copped a suspension, but will be back to take the Derby ride on Vin De Dance.

Meanwhile, the opposition's tactics on Saturday to slow the early and mid-race tempo and try and sprint away from Winx in the home straight didn't work. Take no notice of the winning margin over Happy Clapper being three-quarters of a length when Winx won the same race by seven and three-quarters last year. A year back, the track was a bog and put the others at a disadvantage.

Don't make the same mistake plenty made in Australia that Winx was past her best when Humidor got to within three-quarters of a length in the Cox Plate. Forget England and a fourth Cox Plate, she couldn't win either, was their cry. True champions care nought for armchair critics.