The Singapore Racing Awards honouring the racetrack feats of the country's outstanding performers was held on Thursday night, which proved a big evening for a trio of Inglis Yearling Sale graduates.
Better Life claimed her second consecutive Champion Stayer award plus the hotly contested Champion Four Year Old award. Stepitup was crowned Champion Three Year Old, while Super Ninetyseven took out the Champion Miler award.
A $150,000 purchase from Torryburn Stud's draft at the 2010 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Better Life was a dominant winner of the Gr.1 Singapore Derby (2000m) in July 2013. The flashy mare also won the Gr.1 Kranji Mile (1600m) and Gr.1 Singapore Gold Cup (2200m) in 2012 – both as an Australian born four-year-old.
Better Life (Smarty Jones-Quiet Life)retired after the Derby as the winner of eight races from 14 starts for S$2,061,650 in prizemomey. The champion mare is now back in Australia in foal to Widden Stud stallion Sebring.
Stepitup (Hussonet x Ain't Seen Nothin'), a $90,000 purchase from Bellerive Stud draft at the 2011 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, was a predictable winner of the Champion Three Year Old Award. The Tivic Stable owned gelding emulated the feats of Better Than Ever, Gingerbread Man and Super Easy in winning all three legs of Singapore's Three Year Old Series including the Gr.1 Singapore Guineas (1600m).
The son of Hussonet had eight starts in 2013 for five wins. Stepitup has already added to his imposing record this year with win at Group 3 level over 2000m on the 1st of February. Connections sights are firmly fixed on the Group 1 Singapore Derby over the same course and distance against his own age group in July.
Two of the races in this year's Singapore Golden Horseshoe Series for two-year-olds have been named in honour Better Life and Stepitup:
Inglis Melbourne Stepitup Stakes (1000m) on Friday 7 March
Inglis Sydney Better Life Stakes (1200m) on Sunday 20 April
Rounding out the trio of Inglis graduates crowned last night was Stepitup's main rival Super Ninetyseven. The Champion Miler finished second to Stepitup twice last year, but put it all together for a strong win in the Gr.1 Raffles Cup (1800m) in October.
Super Ninetyseven (Show a Heart ex Yabeel)was purchased for $50,000 from the draft of Wimmera Park Stud at the 2011 Inglis Sydney Classic Yearling Sale before being on sold to trainer Michael Freedman as a two-year-old for NZ$125,000 by pinhookers Lyndhurst Farm.
A number of yearlings set for auction at the upcoming Inglis Melbourne Premier and Australian Easter Yearling Sales are related to Singapore's champions of 2013.
Esker Lodge will offer a three-quarter-sister-in-blood to Singapore's Horse of the Year Super Easy asLot 230at theInglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.
Lot 299 and 300 at theInglis Australian Easter Yearling Salehave close ties to Stepitup. Arrowfield Stud will offer the yearling half-brother by Starcraft to Stepitup asLot 299then Broadwater Thoroughbreds will offer the first foal of Stepitup's stakes winning half-sister Ain'tNofallenstar asLot 300– a filly by Redoute's Choice.
Newhaven Park will be bringing a More Than Ready filly from a half-sister to the dam of Singapore Champion Two Year Old War Affair to Easter. The filly will be sold asLot 129.
Inglis Release
