Racing is underway at Kranji in advance of the big night of international races here Sunday. The sun sets through the trees, which are in abundance, around this gardenesque racecourse, just about a kilometer from the Malaysian border.
With relatively little knowledge of local form, I backed #1 SURPRISE SURPRISE in the first race at Kranji, applying the gallant “90-day, 2-prep” theory – that a horse is likely to run a top race when making a third start off a layoff of greater than 90 days. Sure enough, Surprise Surprise held sway but was well-backed into $14 for a $5 stake.
Vlad Duric was aboard for the winning ride.
The main event of the night is the S$500,000 Singapore Guineas (SIN-G1) featuring Better Than Ever, who towers some 30 pounds over the rest of the field in the ratings. Undefeated, the local racing experts are comparing him to a younger Rocket Man – and that’s some heavy-handed company in which to be considered.