News

Spin Highlights Growing Australian Success In Singapore

11th Feb 2009

Racing And Sports - Wednesday, 11 February 2009

Top Spin's weekend award of being named Singapore's Champion Horse for 2008, has highlighted a growing trend of dominance for Australian-bred gallopers in that country.

The son of Arena's crowning follows a year of dominant performances by Australian-bred horses in Singapore stakes races and coincides with Australian-bred Cheyenne Dancer being named Malaysia's Champion Horse of the year.

Representation of Australian-bred horses racing in Singapore during 2008 was 47%. Of the 16 individual stakes winners in Singapore last year (from all countries) 10 were bred in Australia.

“Australian-bred horses have proven they are very well suited to the racing conditions in Asia and we are now seeing many of the Singaporean trainers and owners taking advantage of these vital qualities in our horses,” Aushorse Chairman Antony Thompson said.

“Singapore is a rapidly growing market for Australian horses and at the recent Magic Millions sales that was evident with their total spend in sessions 1-4 of the sale totalling $3.6 million, which is their most significant investment to date.”

Prepared by Singapore's leading trainer Laurie Laxon for Lim's Stables , Top Spin (Arena - Gas, by Strategic) , won more than $1.4million last year and dominated the top level middle distance races.

Described by Laxon as being “bombproof”, Top Spin won six stakes races in 2008, highlighted by Group 1 success in the Singapore Derby and Kranji Mile.

“We are very proud that an Australian-bred horse has taken out Singapore's champion racehorse award,” Thompson said.

“By winning the 2008 Singapore Derby, Top Spin stamped himself as a top class racehorse and now he has been crowned Singapore Champion Horse for 2008, his durability has been proven as well.”

Bred by Woodlands Stud, Top Spin is a son of the Lomar Park based stallion Arena, who became Danehill's second Group 1 Victoria Derby winner in 1998. He is from the Strategic mare Gas, who in turn is a half-sister to Woodlands' Group 1 VRC Oaks winner, Tributes.

Woodlands sold Gas at the Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale in 2006 to Raheen Stud who sold a Snippetson filly at this year's Magic Millions Yearling Sale on the Gold Coast for $100,000.

Australian representation in Singapore continues to grow and of the 24 trainers in the country, eight started their careers in Australia, with the most recent additions being Michael Freedman and Cliff Brown.

Freedman, who purchased colts by Fastnet Rock, Ferocity, Secret Savings and Dane Shadow at the Magic Millions, said the class of horses racing in Singapore was constantly on the rise and quality horses were now needed to be successful.

“I took up 15 horses initially and those horses have given me a good barometer of what's needed,” he said on the Gold Coast.

“You can't take an average horse up there and expect to win races.”

Freedman's new clients have been encouraged to test the Australian market in search of those better class horses.

“Given my background, clients are keen for me to hunt around in Australia. I bought on behalf of two clients who hadn't purchased in Australia previously,” he said.

In Malaysia, Australian-bred Cheyenne Dancer, a son of Indian Danehill (Danehill) from the Brief Truce mare Daylight Hour, was named Champion Horse.

Formerly based at Kranji, Cheyenne Dancer won four races for the year, including the Mal G1 Astro Wah Lai Toi Sprint Trophy, in addition to another victory in Singapore, for earnings of $A420,000.

He was originally purchased for just $10,000 as a weanling in South Australia before being sold to Malaysia for $37,500 at the 2005 Perth Magic Millions. The 2009 Perth Magic Millions Sales commences today.

Australian-bred horses represented 56% of horses racing in Malaysia in 2008 and that number is growing.