Singapore Moves Back Into Spotlight With Kranji Mile

The Singapore Turf Club edges back toward the international spotlight after a two-year hiatus as runners from Hong Kong and New Zealand will contest the May 26 Kranji Mile against 10 locals.

Singapore's two international group 1 races, the Singapore Airlines Cup and the KrisFlyer Sprint, were suspended after 2015. The club announced last year it planned to resume international competition by opening the 2018 Kranji Mile as an invitational event and boosting purses for that race and the supporting Lion City Cup at 1,200 meters (six furlongs).

The club is also providing bonuses for the first two local runners, regardless of finishing position, in the the Kranji Mile.

"We are exhilarated to put Singapore racing back on the world map," Singapore Turf Club president B.C. Chong said. "We believe the way to do so is to offer better incentives and bigger prize money to attract the world's top horses, owners, trainers, and jockeys to the Singapore Racecourse.

"This year's Kranji Mile will be a window into the international races in 2019 to drum up early interest and anticipation among the local and international racing communities," Chong said. "It is an exciting step forward in Singapore Turf Club's plan to uplift the quality of Singapore racing."

Hong Kong invaders Southern Legend and Horse of Fortune add quality to the field. Both have competed at the top levels during the 2017-18 Hong Kong season, with Southern Legend finishing third in the Champions Mile (G1).

Horse of Fortune's best showing was a sixth-place finish, beaten only four lengths, in the Longines Hong Kong Mile in December.

New Zealand's hope is Ocean Emperor, who enters the Kranji after a win in the Windsor Park Stud Japan Trophy at Matamata.

British trainer Andrew Balding had planned to enter Here Comes When, upset winner of last year's Qatar Sussex Stakes (G1), but withdrew the Danehill Dancer 8-year-old due to a minor injury that precluded travel.

Before the hiatus, Hong Kong-based horses dominated the last three editions of the Singapore Airlines Cup and the KrisFlyer Sprint.

Among the local hopes is Volkstok'nbarrell, a recent Singapore arrival whose résumé includes a victory in Australia in the 2015 Sky Racing Rosehill Guineas (G1).