SINGAPORE,  April 27, 2010

GLORIA DE CAMPEAO (whose name means Glorious Champion in Portuguese) and AL SHEMALI, winners of the US$10m Dubai World Cup (2000m) and US$5m Dubai Duty Free (1800m) respectively at the newly-opened Meydan racecourse in Dubai last month, will square off in perhaps the strongest field ever assembled in this year’s S$3m Singapore Airlines International Cup (SIA Cup) at Kranji on May 16.

And the supporting cast for the Group 1 2000m event include horses with very good recent credentials in international events.

Brazilian-bred, Pascal Bary-trained GLORIA DE CAMPEAO (Impression - Audacity by Clackson), who led all the way to beat the fast-finishing PRESVIS in last year’s SIA Cup, comes to Singapore fresh from winning the Dubai World Cup, the world’s richest race, in his third attempt on March 27.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohd Al Maktium-owned, English-bred AL SHEMALI (Medicean - Bathilde by Generous) was a virtual unknown before the Dubai Duty Free. But the Ali Rashid Al Raihe-trained entire claimed the scalps of headline acts such as PRESVIS, BANKABLE, GOOD BA BA and COURAGEOUS CAT.

The Luca Cumani-trained PRESVIS (Sakhee - Forest Fire by Never So Bold) is keen to settle the score with GLORIA DE CAMPEAO. Blessed with a lethal turn of foot, PRESVIS has, however, often been unlucky on the big occasions whether it was the 2009 SIA Cup, where he was held up for a run at the top of the straight, or in the 2009 Group 1 Hong Kong Cup or 2010 Group 1 Dubai Duty Free where he again ran into dead ends. He finished on the placegetters’ heels again in the Group 1 Audemars Piguet QEII Cup at Sha Tin last Sunday after coming from the tail of the field in a slowly run affair.

Another contender with excellent recent form is South African gelding LIZARD’S DESIRE (Lizard Island - Annsfield by Northfields). Prepared by globetrotting South African trainer Mike de Kock, the four-year-old was thought by millions of world viewers to have nabbed GLORIA DE CAMPEAO on the line in the Dubai World Cup, but the photo finish showed he went down by a nose. He followed up with a brave second to VIVA PATACA in the Audemars Piguet QEII Cup at Sha Tin.

CHINCHON, who was stranded in Europe because of the volcanic ash debacle that grounded flights in Europe during mid-April and which forced him to miss the Audemars Piguet QEII Cup, is a welcome addition. The Carlon Laffon-Parias-trained five-year-old was a Group 3 winner at Saint-Cloud at his most recent outing and in 16 starts has not finished further back than fifth with four wins to his name, the last two in succession.

The much-travelled Irish-bred LAHALEED (Redback - Flames by Blushing Flame), a Group 1 winner at Woodbine in Canada three starts back, performed creditably for Bahrain during the Dubai carnival at Meydan, finishing a last-start sixth to Al Shemali in the Dubai Duty Free and is a mare with plenty of character.

Another worthy candidate for South Africa will be BANKABLE (Medicean - Dance To The Top by Sadler’s Wells), third in last year’s SIA Cup when handled by de Kock. The well-travelled galloper is now prepared by Cup-winning trainer Herman Brown (JAY PEG in 2008) and is coming off a successful short campaign in Dubai where he notched one Group 2 win and a second (to AL SHAMALI in the Dubai Duty Free) in two outings.

2007 SIA Cup winner SHADOW GATE (White Muzzle - Fabulous Turn by Sunday Silence) of Japan makes his comeback to Kranji after three years. Now eight years of age, the Yukihiro Kato-trained entire has raced 17 more times since his Cup triumph, and only saluted at his last outing on March 13 in a Grade 3 race over 2000m, defeating last year’s Japanese SIA Cup runner TASCATA SORTE into second.

Japan will have a second representative this year in YAMANIN KINGLY (Agnes Digital - Yamanin Arena) for trainer Hiroshi Kawachi. The five-year-old won the Grade 2 Sapporo Kinen over 2000m last year, and has recently resumed racing following a five-month spell, finishing just over two lengths off TM ENCOE in the Grade 2 Sankei Osaka Hai in early April.

Hong Kong’s SUPER SATIN (Danehill Dancer - Mantles Princess by Rock City), winner of the Group 1 Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby in March, is in great form for trainer Caspar Fownes and subsequently finished third behind VIVA PATACA in the Audemars Piguet QEII Cup.

Australian Anthony Cummings, son of legendry trainer Bart, has taken up the challenge with six-time winner ROAD TO ROCK (Encosta De Lago - Trewornan by Midyan) following an impressive victory in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes over 2000m at Randwick last Saturday.

Singapore will try and thwart the foreign assault with a line-up made up of seasoned gallopers JOLIE’S SHINJU, EL DORADO, WAIKATO, GOLDSCHATZ and late entry DROVETTI.

Japanese trainer Hideyuki Takaoka’s duo of Singapore Derby winner JOLIE’S SHINJU (Jolie’s Halo - Endearing Quality by Danziq) and dual Singapore Gold Cup winner EL DORADO (Stay Gold - White Leap by White Muzzle) probably have the best credentials to take on such classy international gallopers in a race like the Cup.

WAIKATO (Pins - Skywalker Wilkes by Skywalker) has twice finished fourth in the KrisFlyer International Sprint (2008 and 2009) but will make a bid in the Cup this year. The six-year-old, a strong finishing second to ROCKET MAN in last week’s Lion City Cup over 1200m, has grown in stamina with age under the care of six-time champion trainer and owner Laurie Laxon.

GOLDSCHATZ (Pins - Centri Belle by Centaine) is one of the most improved horses in the middle-distance category this year. He reeled off five-in-a-row starting late last year, including two wins at Group 3 level (1700m and 2000m) for trainer Stephen Gray, before minor placings at his last two starts, including a second to RACE AHEAD in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup last Friday.

The fifth Singapore representative is DROVETTI (Mossman - Clareta by Pauillac) , an improving sort and six-time winner for trainer Steven Burridge. The five-year-old was a creditable fourth in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup last Friday.