Brett Prebble will push for champion Sacred Kingdom to press on towards Royal Ascot next month after the Hong Kong star set Singapore alight in last night's HK$5.29 million KrisFlyer Sprint. Sacred Kingdom, brilliantly ridden by Prebble, smashed the Kranji course record for 1,200 metres by 0.8 seconds in defeating Singapore's previously unbeaten three-year-old Rocket Man by a neck.Sacred Kingdom was the world's champion turf sprinter of 2007 and retained that title in 2008, despite missing the s
Brett Prebble will push for champion Sacred Kingdom to press on towards Royal Ascot next month after the Hong Kong star set Singapore alight in last night's HK$5.29 million KrisFlyer Sprint. Sacred Kingdom, brilliantly ridden by Prebble, smashed the Kranji course record for 1,200 metres by 0.8 seconds in defeating Singapore's previously unbeaten three-year-old Rocket Man by a neck.
Sacred Kingdom was the world's champion turf sprinter of 2007 and retained that title in 2008, despite missing the second half of the year through injury. But last night's win will give him a huge chance to emulate Silent Witness as a Hong Kong-trained, three-time world champion sprinter.
Trainer Ricky Yiu Poon-fie was elated with the victory, saying he'd been delighted at how Sacred Kingdom had thrived during his first trip away from his Sha Tin base.
"He's done so well here, he was around 18 pounds heavier tonight than he was at Sha Tin last start [May 1] and I thought this was the best I've had him [this year]," Yiu said. "But a lot of credit must go to the jockey - he's ridden a fantastic race."
Yiu's initial reaction was that Sacred Kingdom should go home and be prepared to emulate his 2007 triumph in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint, though leaving the door open to other possibilities. When asked whether the Group One Golden Jubilee Cup at Royal Ascot next month is a possibility, Yiu replied simply: "Anything's possible."
Prebble was bullish about a potential trip to England for the world's most prestigious race meeting on the Queen's course. "My advice would be to go, without reservation," he said. "This horse is just coming right and he's actually won very softly tonight - in the final 100 metres he was floating in front and waiting for something to come at him.
"If there was a suitable race in two weeks, he could go around and win again, maybe even easier than tonight. So my vote would be go to England. He'll give them some swish over there, I promise you."
Singapore racecourse has never seen a more excited, vibrant crowd and they began cheering on the home turn as Rocket Man (Robbie Fradd) moved up on the inside of South African sprinter Mythical Flight. Rocket Man stepped up a gear and momentarily looked the winner but then Sacred Kingdom engaged him, the pair settling down to a thrilling duel that smashed all other rivals. (www.racing.scmp.com)