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Highly rated JERAM SPECIAL
has been invited by the Singapore Turf Club to contest the $500,000 Raffles
Cup to be run over 1800m at Kranji next Sunday.
Four Penang trained horses were nominated for the Singapore Group 1 event
when entries for the race closed recently. They are JERAM SPECIAL, LEON and
POWER OF GOLD from the stable of trainer Frank Maynard and the Richard
Lines-trained CONTINUANCE.
Following an assessment and ranking of all entries by the panel of
handicappers, only JERAM SPECIAL receive the invitation to run.
Chief Handicapper (Singapore) Mark Webbey explained that JERAM SPECIAL is
the best qualifier, based on his rating of 109 points, which is only six
points short of Emirates Singapore Derby winner OUR FALSTAFF, who takes
pride of place in the Raffles Cup.
JERAM SPECIAL’s most current form also indicates he will be a competitive
candidate. The five-year-old by Tayasu Tsuyoshi has won seven of his 17
starts and was second to the Singapore trained LIGHT OF SUCCESS in the Yang
Di Pertua Negeri (Penang) Gold Cup on new year’s day.
He was also second to FREE SPIRIT in the Piala Emas Sultan Selangor (2000m)
in June and just two weeks ago, went down by a nose to GOLDEN ACE in the
Astro Wah Lai Toi Vase 1400m, a distance much too short for him to show his
staying prowess.
“The other horses were eliminated primarily because of their lower ratings
and lack of recent form at Group level,” said Webbey.
Another Penang-based horse will be joining JERAM SPECIAL on the trip across
the Causeway, but as a runner in a another race. The Richard Lines-trained
CONBIENCE has been given the nod to race in the Class 4 - 1400m race on the
same day as the Raffles Cup.
The invitation of these two Malaysian horses comes off the reciprocal
agreement between the Singapore Turf Club and the Penang Turf Club on cross
border racing which was started last year.
The agreement allows Penang-based horses to run in two nominated Singapore
race meetings, namely the Raffles Cup Meeting and the Singapore Gold Cup
Meeting, which will be staged on November 11 and 12. Similarly,
Singapore-based horses are invited to take part in two nominated race
meetings in Penang, namely the Sprint Trophy Meeting in September 2006 and
the Penang Gold Cup Meeting in December this year.
This will be JERAM SPECIAL’s second trip across the causeway. Last November,
he finished midfield in the Singapore Gold Cup won by TERFEL.  |
