Brown’s Singapore breakthrough

Victorian Cliff Brown, in his fourth full season as a trainer in Singapore, had his biggest success there when Clint won the Group 1 $S1.15 million ($A890,000) Emirates Singapore Derby (2000m) at Kranji on Sunday.

Clint won by 2½ lengths from Better Than Ever, with Trafalgar Legacy a neck away third, to give Australian rider John Powell his second Derby success.

The only time Powell left the fence on Clint was to come around the heels of Better Than Ever passing the 200-metre mark. And Brown said it was only at this stage that he realised his victory dream was about to come to true – he had been watching his other runner Tenzing (who bled) going back through the field coming off the back straight.

Powell won the Derby on Hello And Goodbye for New Zealand trainer Bruce Marsh in 2005. And the jockey was on Brown’s first winner in Singapore, Celine Star. Brown won five Group 1s in Australia, including three South Australian Derbys.

Clint, a New Zealand-bred four-year-old by Casual Lies from the Deputy Governor mare Torch, took his prizemoney past the $S800,000 mark. He had just three wins from his previous 20 starts.

Better Than Ever, trained by Laurie Laxon and ridden by Saimee Jumaat, had been considered the next big thing behind international sprinter Rocket Man, having won his first 12 starts. He finished second in the three legs of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge and now has won 14 of 19.

Laxon leads the trainers’ premiership with 46 wins from Rocket Man’s trainer Patrick Shaw (40) and Australians Steven Burridge (35) and Don Baertschiger (34). Brown is sixth on 29. Other Australians: Brian Dean, 12th with 22; Michael Freedman, 13th also with 22.

Victorian jockey Vlad Duric rode three winners on Sunday. He is second on 52, a dozen behind Brazilian Joao Moreira (64). Other Australians: Ronnie Stewart (6th, 25), Powell (7th, 24), Danny Beasley (8th, 22); Glen Boss (14th, 10).

Hong Kong racing is in recess until September 5, but Australian John Moore is enjoying his late burst (four winners on the final day) to win the trainers’ premiership from Tony Cruz 74-72. It was the first time Moore, a prolific earner, had topped the $HK100 million (about $A12 million) mark and his first title in 19 years, but his sixth overall.

John Size (64) finished third and the other Australian, David Hall, had 21 wins.

South African Douglas Whyte won his 11th straight jockeys’ premiership with 96 wins from a trio of Australians – Brett Prebble (78, second for the sixth time on end), Darren Beadman (57) and Zac Purton (53)

Tye Angland had 18 wins in an injury-hit debut season. All will be back next season, along with young Sydney jockey Tim Clark.

Betting turnover topped $HK80 billion (almost $A10 billion). The Hong Kong Jockey Club will lift prizemoney by $HK40 million next season, with a $HK4 million boost taking the International Mile in December to $HK20 million, restoring it the world’s richest 1600-metre race.

That is good news for Hong Kong’s big December carnival, as is the Jockey Club announcement that Australian quarantine authorities have given the facilities at Sha Tin the thumbs up.

Bad news for Hong Kong, however, is that Australia’s (and the world’s) best sprinter Black Caviar is unlikely to run in the International Sprint. Connections have indicated she will have an all-Australian campaign before racing at England’s Royal Ascot meeting next June.