A bold move earlier this year paid dividends for the connections of Gitano Hernando when he took out the $3 million Group 1 Singapore Airlines International Cup over 2000m at Kranji on Sunday.
Ridden by UK-born, Australian-based South African jockey Glyn Schofield, Gitano Hernando scored a brave half-length win over River Jetez (Bernard Fayd’Herbe) with the dead-heaters Irian (Darren Beadman) and Waikato (Joao Moreira) sharing third place a length further back. The winning time was 2min 3.93secs.
Gitano Hernando, who returned a win dividend of $73, is owned by the President of Chechnya – Ramzan Kadyrov – who purchased the entire with the view of winning the Dubai World Cup in March.
The five-year-old ran in the care of Marco Botti in the world’s richest thoroughbred race before transferring to the care of Herman Brown following his sixth placing behind Victoire Pisa at Meydan.
Brown, who was winning his second SIA Cup following his success with Jay Peg in 2008, ventured to Hong Kong with Gitano Hernando in which he made late ground finishing a three-and-a-half length eighth behind Ambitious Dragon in the Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup over 2000m on May 1.
Herman Brown, his father Herman snr and jockey Glyn Schofield show off the SIA Cup silverware
An uninterrupted program since his arrival in Singapore ensured as Brown’s staff, led by Nicolas Iguacel, his travelling assistant, put the finishing touches to Gitano Hernando’s program in impressive fashion.
“We’ve had him for two months only and we’ve been getting to know him better and better,” said Brown.
“We wanted a horse for the (Dubai) World Cup and there weren’t a lot of horses about, but eventually these horses come and find you.
“Things have worked very well for him since he settled in here. I don’t know what happened in Hong Kong, he just didn’t settle there.
“He caught us a bit by surprise there. He was not composed at all before the race and we thought it was a race best to ignore.
“Maybe the right-handed way of going did not suit him either.
“On a track like Kranji which is a bit sharp for him, we decided to go for a change of tactics as we didn’t have a chance if we came from behind.
“I also told Glyn to ride him more positive at the start. Just keep him going, try and get some pace and settle him as early as possible. Glyn couldn’t have ridden him better.
“I thought the 2000m would be a bit short for him. When he got to the front he had the others come at him and he showed a tremendous amount of fight.”
The ride from Schofield was brilliant as he went forward before taking a sit on a surprise pacemaker in California Memory (Matthew Chadwick) who in Hong Kong is known for coming from the back.
After the initial early shuffling of placings running around the first turn, California Memory took up the pace with Waikato and Gitano Hernando in close attendance.
Going into the back straight Chadwick made his move and allowed California
Memory to up the tempo, but Schofield was right there only allowing a two length
lead as they went past the 1000m. As they went through the 800m corner Schofield sent Gitano Hernando closer to sit outside the leader.
Turning for home Gitano Hernando took up the lead while at the same time California Memory rolled off the fence allowing local hope Waikato to join in and with 200m to run look a winning hope.
River Jetez, who had been in the chasing pack, got to the outside and started to sprout wings and chased down firstly Waikato an inch closer to Gitano Hernando, only to have the post arrive.
Irian, who had been back a little worse than midfield in the run, charged down the outside to claim a share of third prize.
Brown said Gitano Hernando would now head to England for a well-earned rest before he decides on the his longer-term goals.
“He needs a bit of a break now so he’ll go back to England now for a couple of months and we’ll make a decision on where we will go from there,” said Brown.
“He’s a possibility of going to Melbourne for the Cup later in the year, but that is still a long way off.”
Schofield has only recently returned to race riding following a fall in Sydney last month left him sidelined with a broken collarbone.
He was to have travelled to Hong Kong for the mount on the entire, but because of the injury the ride went to Damien Oliver.
With a lack of pace in the race it was always the intention of Schofield to go forward and use his staying prowess.
“It was always our intention to be positive,” said Glyn Schofield. “I was happy to be in the position we were and then California Memory went to the front.
“He travelled really sweetly and then he showed a lovely turn of foot when I asked him.
“I knew my horse was tiring but he was brave all the way to the finish.
“Full credit must go to Herman for the way he turned the horse out and I have to thank him for having the confidence in me after I broke my collarbone in a race fall back in Sydney last month.”
Laurie Laxon’s evergreen galloper Waikato almost made it a great night for the locals following the victory of Rocket Man in the KrisFlyer International Sprint.
Following on from his fourth in last year’s SIA Cup, Waikato was brave in sharing third honours with Irian.
It is the third time Waikato has lined-up on SIA Cup night. He finished fourth behind Sacred Kingdom in the 2009 KrisFlyer.
“He ran a super race,” said Laxon. “I thought Joao rode him beautifully.
“We thought that (Matthew) Chadwick (on California Memory) might go out and lead, but all credit must go to the winner as he was there the whole way.
“Even though it looked like Waikato might have got to the lead, I think the winner was always in front of him.
“I’m never one to shout and get too excited during a race. If you get yourself up too high it’s a long way to drop to the bottom.
“I think I only ever get an inch off the ground.”
Laxon was always confident of Waikato running a great race.
“Even though the stats might not say it, I think as a seven-year-old he is in the prime of his life,” said Laxon.
“He was a mental wreck when he first got here but has continually got stronger and stronger.
“He’s done me proud.”
Waikato’s effort in finishing third took his prizemoney past the $2.5 million mark.
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SINGAPORE AIRLINES INTERNATIONAL CUP-G1, S$3,000,000 (US$2,419,129), Kranji, 5-22, 3yo/up, 2000mT, 2:03.93, gd. 1-GITANO HERNANDO (GB), 125, h, 5, Hernando (Fr) –Gino’s Spirits (GB), by Perugino O-Ramzan Kadyrov; B-Newsells Park Stud Ltd; T-H Brown; J-G Schofield; S$1,710,000. Lifetime Record: GISW-US, GSW-Ire, SW & GSP-Eng, GSPUAE, 16-7-2-1. Sold by team valor international 2BRiver Jetez (SAf), 122, m, 7, Jet Master (SAf)–Stormsvlei (SAf), by *Prince Florimund. O-Mr & Mrs C A Amm & N M Shirtliff; B-Out of Africa Stud; T-Mike de Kock; S$607,500. (DH)–3BIrian (Ger), 125, g, 5, Tertullian–Iberi (Ger), by Rainbow Quest. O-Siu Pak Kwan; B-Gestut Schlenderhan; T-John Moore; S$228,750. (DH)–3BWaikato (NZ), 125, g, 7, Pins (Aus)—Skywalker Wilkes, by Skywalker. O-Silver Fern Racing Stable; B-Amadi Park Ltd; T-L Laxon; S$228,750. Margins: HF, 1, DH. Winner=s Odds: 13-1. Also Ran: Chinchon (Ire), Risky Business (Aus), Wigmore Hall (Ire), California Memory, Royal Bench (Ire), Presvis (GB), New Rose Wood (Aus), Fat Kid (NZ).Globetrotter Gitano Hernando was looking for his first victory since winning the Gr3 Diamond S. in Ireland last fall and his first Group or Grade I since upsetting the Santa Anita’s Goodwood BC S. in 2009. Purchased privately by Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov from Team Valor International in March, the 5-year-old was a disappointing sixth for his new connections in the
G1 Dubai World Cup Mar. 26 before another off-the-board effort in the G1 Audermars Piguet QEII Cup at Sha Tin in Hong Kong May 1. Back in form here, the double-digit longshot benefitted from a savvy Glyn Schofield ride. Up close just after the break, Gitano Hernando was sent to the lead heading into the first turn, but soon settled in second as California Memory raced up to lead. Schofield tipped his mount out with 600 meters to go, forged to the front soon after and the pair won the sprint to the wire.
‘We’ve had him for two months only and we’ve been getting to know him better and better’ said Herman Brown, who took over training duties from Marco Botti.
‘We wanted a horse for the World Cup and there weren’t a lot of horses about, but eventually these horses come and find you.
Things have worked very well for him since he settled in here. I don’t know what happened in Hong Kong, he just didn’t settle there. He caught us a bit by surprise there. He was not composed at all before the race and we thought it was a race best to ignore. Maybe the right-handed way of going did not suit him either.’
‘On a track like Kranji, which is a bit sharp for him, we decided to go for a change of tactics, as we didn’t have a chance if we came from behind. I also told Glyn to ride him more positive at the start. Just keep him going, try and get some pace and settle him as early as possible. Glyn couldn’t have ridden him better. I thought the 2000m would be a bit short for him. When he got to the front he had the others come at him and he showed a tremendous amount of fight.’
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