Parranda Captures Lucrative Singapore Cup
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China Horse Club's Parranda, an easy winner of the Marshua's River Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Gulfstream Park in early January, made her overseas journey worthwhile with a strong victory in the CECF Singapore Cup (Sin-I) (VIDEO) Feb. 22.
Trained by Christophe Clement and ridden by Christophe Soumillon, Parranda won the $3.05 million turf race, the richest in Singapore, by 2 1/4 lengths over Zululand. Ming Zhi Cosmos finished a nose back in third.
The final time for the 1,800-meter Singapore Cup was 1:48.53.
Parranda, a 6-year-old mare by English Channel out of the Rahy mare Dynamic Feature, was bred in Florida by Kinsman Farm. She was purchased by China Horse Club for $800,000 at the 2014 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky mixed sale after a sixth-place finish in last year's Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT) at Santa Anita Park.
"I'm not surprised she won, as she was the best filly in the race and we had a dream run right through the race," Soumillion said. "She jumped quite quickly from her gate and we were able to land in a good position behind (front-running Summer Surprice). She was very relaxed and there was no pressure coming from anybody."
Thomas Brandebourger, assistant to Clement, also saddled My Option to a fifth-place finish in the Singapore Cup. He indicated he was pleased with Parranda's effort.
"We didn't really know how the race would go, as it's so hard to judge the overseas form on a different track," Brandebourger said. "I just left it to Christophe as he's one of the best jockeys in the world. There was an opportunity to have Christophe, and there was only one option, which was to put him on Parranda. There is no need to tell him anything; all I wanted was not to be too far behind and be close enough to sprint home in the last bit."
Prior to her grade III victory at Gulfstream in January, Parranda's other graded-stakes wins had come in the Royal Heroine Stakes (gr. IIT) at Santa Anita and the Suwannee River Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Gulfstream. The mare now has 12 wins in 30 starts.