Singapore Cup, Krisflyer Sprint: Horse racing preview, tips, live blog

Singapore’s international meeting attracts horses from all corners of the world every year, including a number from Australia. Join us here from 9.30pm AEST tonight for a live blog of the Singapore Cup and Krisflyer Spring from Singapore.

Sunday is a huge day of international racing, beginning very early in the morning and lasting long into the night.

Orb was unable to keep his Triple Crown aspirations alive in the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore this morning after Oxbow caused an upset victory.

But, the focus of the racing world shifts to Singapore tonight.

This year sees the best edition of the Singapore International Cup (2000m, 10.40pm AEST) since its inception in 2000, with class runners from all over the world engaged in the Lion City.

There will be names quite familiar to Australians, as well as runners with form around horses known to us down under.

Let’s start with Mawingo, last year’s Doomben Cup winner who also has a second to All Too Hard in the CF Orr Stakes to his name.

His last run was when he finished ninth to Fiveandahalfstar in The BMW on Golden Slipper Day at Rosehill at what was to be his final Australian appearance.

He has not travelled well and is likely to find this competition too tough, and will continue his career in Singapore following tonight’s run.

It would have seemed fanciful there would ever be a horse who could finish second in both the Melbourne Cup and the Dubai World Cup, but Red Cadeaux has achieved that feat.

He’s shown a new versatility this year, finishing second in Dubai before a third in the Tenno Sho (3200m) in Japan.

Red Cadeaux is fast becoming one of the most popular horses on the world circuit and a victory here is sure to be well received.

Pastorius won the Group 1 Prix Ganay (2100m) at Longchamp last start, with Melbourne and Caulfield Cup winner Dunaden in third, while Military Attack won the Queen Elizabeth II Cup in Hong Kong last start giving Tommy Berry his first international victory.

Others have Australian connections – Mull of Killough is trained by English trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam, daughter of Australia’s former opposition leader Andrew Peacock, while local Flax is trained by Melbourne Cup winning trainer Laurie Laxon.

But Australia’s best chance for the evening may come in the Krisflyer International Sprint (1200m, 9:50pm AEST), to be run 50 minutes earlier, when Galaxy winner Bel Sprinter takes his first step onto the international stage.

Reports out of Singapore from track watchers suggest he has travelled incredibly well and has settled into Singapore perfectly.

The Kranji track is known as a difficult track to make-up ground from back in the field, but no more so than Rosehill, where he flew to record a big victory in the March feature.

If he replicates that form here, he’ll be hard to beat.

Five years since Takeover Target won the race, Australia will be hoping to stop the local gallopers from winning their third Krisflyer in succession after the wins of Rocket Man (2011) and Ato (2012).

It is this race, rather than the Cup, where the locals may be hard to beat. Super Easy has won an incredible 13 races from 15 starts in Singapore, and his last start win in the Lion City Cup was superb.

And Mr Big, who ran fifth to Shea Shea in the Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai before finishing second to Super Easy last start, cannot be discounted.

Hong Kong’s Lucky Nine, Japan’s Dasher Go Go and Kavanagh, who could be considered a representative of both South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, are other leading chances in what is the world’s most global sprint race to date this year.

SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL CUP SELECTIONS

1. Meandre
2. Pastorius
3. Red Cadeaux
4. Military Attack

KRISFLYER INTERNATIONAL SPRINT SELECTIONS

1. Bel Sprinter
2. Kavanagh
3. Super Easy
4. Lucky Nine

Tips and preview by Roar Expert Andrew Hawkins