By Alan Carasso
Emerging star Debt Collector (NZ) (Thorn Park {Aus}) looked up against during the running of Sunday's Raffles Cup, the second leg of the older horse Triple Crown, when far back off a pedestrian gallop. But, as has become his custom, the 4-year-old saved his best for last and arrived on the scene in the nick of time for his seventh win from 10 career starts.
Since dropping his first three trips to the post, the Kiwi-bred had rattled off six on the fly, including a stirring defeat of a troubled Singapore Derby winner Well Done (NZ) (Falkirk {NZ}) in the Panasonic Kranji Mile three weeks back. The bettors made the latter the slight favorite to reverse form, but Debt Collector had other ideas.
From the outset it was clear that the Raffles Cup would be run at a canter, as noted back-marker Titanium (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) led through an opening 800m in :52.01. War Affair (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}), winner of this in 2014, crept up to sit second, while Debt Collector and Well Done settled in their comfort zones towards the rear. The pace began to increase with about 3 1/2 furlongs to travel, but as they hit the top of the stretch, War Affair was sent into the lead by Danny Beasley, kicked clear and looked to have the come-from-behinders over a barrel. Debt Collector was taking his time to wind up down the center, but he lifted noticeably inside the final 100m and found the wire first ahead of Quechua (Arg) (Pure Prize), who just touched War Affair out of second.
“This horse is an absolute freak,” said winning trainer Cliff Brown. “All week, I was not that confident he would win, but he's done it again. I genuinely thought he would run third or fourth in the last 200m. It's only in the last 50m that he found again. To do what he did today was just amazing. He never puts a foot wrong.”
Brown has long insisted that the winner would get some rest and would not press on to the Nov. 20 Dester Singapore Gold Cup (2200m), a race won two years ago by Quechua.
The winner's dam, a four-time winner and multiple stakes-placed in England while under the care of James Fanshawe, was purchased by Windsor Park Stud for 57,000gns at the 2003 Tattersalls December sale. She produced fillies by Thewayyouare in 2013 and 2014 and a filly by Shamexpress (NZ) in 2015. She was not covered during the most recent breeding season. Click for the Singapore Turf Club chart. VIDEO.
RAFFLES CUP, S$700,000 (£412,666/€458,226/A$662,571/US$502,707), Kranji, 10-30, 3yo/up, 1800mT, 1:50.37, gd.
1–DEBT COLLECTOR (NZ), 126, g, 4, Thorn Park (Aus)–Prompt Payment (Ire) (MSP-Eng), by In the Wings (GB). (NZ$30,000 Ylg '14 NZBSEL; NZ$120,000 2yo '14 NZBRTR). O-Barree Stable; B-Windsor Park Stud Ltd; T-Cliff Brown; J-Michael Rodd; S$416,500. Lifetime Record: 10-7-0-0, S$1,428,438.[bullet ad=”irt-shell”]2–Quechua (Arg), 128, g, 6, Pure Prize–Queen Cabaret (Brz), by Wild Event. O-Avengers Stable. S$148,750.
3–War Affair (NZ), 128, g, 6, O'Reilly (NZ)–Kristique, by Kris S. (NZ$70,000 Ylg '12 NZBPRE). O-Warplan Racing Stable. S$75,250.
Margins: HF, NK, HD. Odds: 1.60, 10.00, 4.60.
Also Ran: Mr Spielberg (NZ), Well Done (NZ), Majestic Moments (NZ), Titanium (NZ).
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