By Alan Carasso
Unbeaten in six starts in 2016, including the final two legs of the local 3-year-old series, Barree Stable's reigning Singapore Horse of the Year Debt Collector (NZ) (Thorn Park {Aus}) will look to pick up where he left off when he makes his seasonal debut in the Canada Cup, a Kranji 'A' event over the 1400 metres Friday evening at Kranji Racecourse.
An NZ$30,000 NZB Select Yearling graduate turned NZ$130,000 NZB Ready to Run 2-year-old purchase by trainer Cliff Brown, Debt Collector swept all aside last season, with barnstorming wins in the Singapore Guineas (1600m) in May and October's Kranji Mile before successfully negotiating 1800m for the first time with a half-length defeat of Quechua (Arg) (Pure Prize) in the Raffles Cup when last seen Oct. 30. In addition to his Horse of the Year honors, Debt Collector was named ths champion 3-year-old, champion miler and social media horse of the year for 2016. Regular rider Michael Rodd, about to begin a four-meeting suspension, has the call.
The latter, a former Singapore Derby and Singapore Gold Cup winner, also resumes in the Canada Cup and has his first official run for trainer Ricardo Le Grange, who took over from Patrick Shaw at the tail end of 2016. Both gallopers are currently rated on 109, but Friday's trip figures to favor Debt Collector over the longer-winded Quechua.
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