by Alan Carasso
A flight containing the China Horse Club's Parranda (English Channel), My Option (Belong to Me) and Bajan (Speightstown) departed Miami Monday and was expected to arrive in Singapore early Wednesday via Luxembourg as the trio prepares for the S$3.05-million CEFC Singapore Cup at Kranji Racecourse Sunday, Feb. 22.
“The negative is that it's a very long trip, but the positive is that they should hopefully have plenty of time to recover between now and the race,” said trainer Christophe Clement, who will be represented in the race by Parranda and My Option. Roger Varian conditions Bajan.
Easily the most accomplished of the trio and the top-rated runner in the field of 10 expected to contest the 1800-meter event, Parranda was a two-time graded stakes winner while under the care of Jerry Hollendorfer last term, with victories in the GIII Wilshire S. and GII Royal Heroine S. Offered by Hollendorfer and his partners at the Fasig-Tipton November sale, the chestnut fetched $800,000 from China Horse Club representatives and repaid a chunk of that investment with a facile three-length success in the GIII Marshua's River S. at Gulfstream Park Jan. 10.
“She's doing just great. She's trained very well and she's come out of her [last race] in good shape,” Clement commented. “She's a very straight-forward filly to train. She's been competing at the top level here in America with Lasix, so how she will do on that track in warm and humid weather without Lasix is another matter. But we're delighted with the way she's trained. She's a lovely mare and I think she'll compete very well.”
Illinois-bred My Option, a $290,000 purchase by the China Horse Club at last year's Keeneland November sale, has yet to make an appearance for the Clement barn, but has also done well of late at Payson Park.
“She took a little bit of time to come around after I got her, but she's trained very forwardly since the beginning of January,” Clement offered. “She's a lovely filly, plenty of bone and a good mover. I'm not completely sold that she's a grass horse, but she is training very well.”
In other news relating to the CEFC Singapore Cup, trainer Michael Freedman will now saddle just two runners after the China Horse Club's Olympic Anthem (NZ) (Starcraft {NZ}) bled in a 1400-meter race over the weekend and is compulsorily sidelined for the next three months. Freedman is still scheduled to send out 2013 Longines Singapore Gold Cup winner Tropaios (GB) (Excellent Art {GB}) in the Singapore Cup.
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