By Alan Carasso
The well-backed Lim's Cruiser (Aus) (Casino Prince {Aus}) gave trainer Stephen Gray an elusive first win in Sunday's Lion City Cup, but the victory was bittersweet, as the stable's longtime flag-bearer Emperor Max (Aus) (Holy Roman Emperor {Aus}) bled in his first start since finishing second in last year's running and will be retired.
Taken back to the latter third of the field early on as Wimbledon (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) and Emperor Max set a cracking pace over rain-affected turf, Lim's Cruiser made eye-catching progress at the inside and was poised behind the top two turning in. Lim's Cruiser showed a sharp turn of foot to split the weakening pacesetters with better than a furlong to race and was not for catching from there, while Alibi (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}), badly hampered on a couple of occasions in the stretch, outfinished Storm Troops (Arg) (Orpen) for second.
It was a melancholy Gray post-race.
“It's very sad. I really don't know what to say,” he said. “Lim's Cruiser is the next best thing, he's got gears and I've said from the beginning he was special. He's a good horse, has a great future, his turn of foot is amazing. But what happened to Max is just heart-breaking. It was my worst fear for Max, to see him get beat today when he's done so much for us, and for him to bleed was something I didn't even want to think about. It's like the best-case scenario and the worst-case scenario all wrapped in the same race. But what do you do? That's racing.”
Emperor Max, Singapore's champion sprinter of 2015, will live out his days back in Melbourne, having won four black-type events while finishing second in the G1 KrisFlyer International Sprint in 2014 and 2015. Emperor Max gave the Gray yard its first overseas starter and was scarcely embarrassed when seventh of 17 runners, beaten just over five lengths, behind Muhaarar (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) in the G1 British Champions Sprint in 2015. Campaigned by Drs Gordon and Ernest Yau, Emperor Max earned better than US$1.1 million. Click for the Singapore Turf Club chart and sectional timing. VIDEO.
Pedigree Notes:
Casino Prince, winner of the 2008 G1 Chipping Norton S., is perhaps best known as the sire of champion All Too Hard (Aus), a four-time Group 1 winner and half-brother to the legendary Black Caviar (Aus) (Bel Esprit {Aus}). Lim's Cruiser's second dam, Battle Maiden (Zim) (Goldkeeper), was a top-level winner and champion older mare in South Africa.
Sunday, Kranji, Singapore
LION CITY CUP, S$800,000 (£457,341/€538,800/A$755,057), Kranji, 4-16, 3yo/up, 1200mT, 1:09.73, yl.
1–LIM'S CRUISER (AUS), 127, g, 4, Casino Prince (Aus)–Hope Downs (Aus), by Good Journey. (A$17,000 Ylg '14 MMGCYS; A$100,000 HRA '15 MMNRHS). O-Lim's Stable; B-Patinack Farm (NSW); T-Stephen Gray; J-Danny Beasley; S$476,000. Lifetime Record: 11-6-2-2, $655,011. *Formerly Cool Gambler (Aus).[bullet ad=”irt-shell”]2–Alibi (NZ), 127, c, 4, Darci Brahma (NZ)–Bound to Impress (NZ), by Galileo (Ire). (A$60,000 Ylg '14 INGMEL; NZ$90,000 2yo '14 NZBRTR). O-Alibi Stable. S$170,000.
3–Storm Troops (Arg), 127, g, 5, Orpen–Stormy, by Elusive Quality. O-Fred Crabbia. S$86,000.
Margins: 2, 3/4, 2 3/4. Odds: 2.80, 5.00, 8.00.
Also Ran: Forever Young, Nova Strike (NZ), Best Tothelign (Aus), Wimbledon (Aus), Emperor Max (Aus), Hip Hip Hooray (NZ). Scratched: Cavallo (NZ), Cyborg (Arg).
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