By Alan Carasso
Having recently announced that the S$1.5-million Kranji Mile was to be contested as an invitational race for 2018, officials at the Singapore Turf Club have decided to consolidate three stakes races to be staged on a single twilight program Saturday, May 26, 2018, at Kranji Racecourse.
The Kranji Mile and S$1-million Lion City Cup (1200m) were originally scheduled for Sunday, May 20, while the S$1-million Singapore Guineas (1600m) had been programmed for Friday, May 18. The meetings previously scheduled for that day will take place as planned. The May 26 meeting will replace the programme scheduled for Friday, May 25.
According to a release from the Club, it is “hopeful that such high-quality racing in one day will have all the elements of an international racing carnival that will not only attract the best horses from here and around the world, but also racegoers and racing fans and put Kranji back on the global stage.”
The Kranji Mile, which will extend as many as four invitations to overseas runners in 2018 and offer bonuses to the first two locally placed runners, and the Lion City Cup will be formally reintroduced as international races in 2019, with prize money of S$3 million and S$1.35 million, respectively. The Singapore Airlines International Cup and KrisFlyer Sprint (1200m) served as the jurisdiction's lone Group 1 races prior to their abrupt cancellation in 2015.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
