The China Horse Club’s (CHC) maiden foray on the Singapore racing circuit was confirmed a resounding success when it was announced that it had finished among the top five owners for the season. Statistics released by the Singapore Turf Club (STC) at the end of the 2013 season confirmed that the CHC’s stable of only three high-quality runners won an astonishing $S878,827 to outpunch larger, well established stables.
“The 2013 season in Singapore can only be described as a wonderful success,” said CHC Chairman Mr Teo Ah Khing.
“Many will highlight the success of our horses, their results in only one season are a tremendous return on investment for our members. But a great deal of credit must also go to the Singapore Turf Club for creating an environment where owners and clubs like CHC can excel.
“The STC rewards its participants with wonderful racing and fantastic prize money and that makes racing here so attractive for owners the world over. With racing’s growing popularity across new areas of the Middle East and Asia I have no doubt more and more owners will be drawn to Singapore from different regions of the world.”
Overwhelmingly positive feedback from CHC’s ultrahigh net worth members throughout 2013 and continued interest in Singapore racing has encouraged the CHC to bolster its involvement in the region. It has done so with a targeted approach to try and better its 2013 results.
Last year Singapore attracted $S750 million in tourism from Chinese citizens. With its continued promotion of the STC, heightened participation in the region and focus on introducing new faces to the excitement and social experiences of racehorse ownership in Singapore, this is a figure the CHC is hoping to help grow.
“Our first season in Singapore met every expectation and while promises can never be made about the 2014 season our planning for it has been extensive and deliberate and that provides confidence to our members that we can have another strong year,” said Eden Harrington, General Manager of the China Horse Club.
“In the 2014 season our team under the care of Michael Freedman will at least triple in size. Our members want greater involvement in Singapore racing and so do we and hopefully that will benefit Singapore racing.
“Michael is a fantastic trainer and a key element in our growing involvement in Singapore. He has had another wonderful season in 2013 finishing second on the Singapore trainers’ premiership and hopefully we can play a role in trying to help Michael win it in 2014.
“Our growth will also provide further opportunities to partner with jockeys such as Manoel Nunes, Danny Beasley, Corey Brown, Tommy Berry who served us well in 2013 and to form relationships with riders we haven’t had a chance to work with as yet.”
Reigning Singapore Gold Cup winner Tropaios and 2014 Three-Year-Old Triple Crown aspirant Rite of Spring will again form the cornerstone of the CHC’s stable in the new season. Tropaios will be set for Singapore’s premier G1 staying races including the $S3 million G1 Singapore Airlines International Cup while Rite of Spring will table his challenge for the title of Singapore’s premier three-year-old.
Joining them will be the lightly raced Arrowhead and an exciting collection of new performers from around the world. Iznate, a multiple winner in France, has similar form lines to Tropaios prior to his arrival in Singapore 12 months ago and will follow a similar path to the CHC talisman through the G1 Singapore Derby to the G1 Singapore Gold Cup.
King’s Bay, a five-time winning sprinter from only eight starts, is currently being prepared for a G1 assault in South Africa and has been earmarked as a Singapore addition. Joining Iznate and King’s Bay will be five two-year-olds from Australia and New Zealand.
Having stamped itself as a notable player on the Singapore circuit there is much to look forward to from the 2014 CHC racing team.
