Super Night for Kiwis at Singapore Racing Awards

Karaka graduate Super Easy (NZ) (Darci Brahma) was crowned Singapore Horse of the Year for the second successive year last night at the Singapore Racing Awards, capping a great night for New Zealand Bloodstock that saw its graduates pick up four awards.

Singapore Horse of the Year Super Easy (NZ)

The now retired Super Easy, who stood his first season as a sire at Hallmark Stud in 2013, claimed the Champion Sprinter title in addition to the supreme honour, with juvenile star War Affair (NZ) (O’Reilly) earning the Champion Two-Year-Old Award and Ready to Run graduate Super Ninetyseven (Show a Heart) named Champion Miler.

Trained by Michael Freedman and owned by the Joy N Happiness Stable, Super Easy was the only horse to win multiple Group 1 races in Singapore last season, triumphing in the Sgp-1 Lion City Cup and the Sgp-1 Patrons’ Bowl, which was to be the son of Darci Brahma’s last race as injury curtailed his career.

Blue Sky Thoroughbreds purchased Super Easy for $140,000 at the 2010 Karaka Premier Sale from Esker Lodge. His sire Darci Brahma has been the leading sire for the past two seasons in Singapore.

Brilliant kiwi-bred two-year-old War Affair dominated the juvenile ranks capturing two out of the three legs of the Golden Horseshoe 2YO Series to easily claim the Championship. The son of O’Reilly won both the Sgp-2 Golden Horseshoe and the Sgp-3 Juvenile Championship, the only two stakes races in Singapore for two-year-olds.

Trained by Mark Walker, War Affair returned as a three-year-old to take a clean sweep of the More Magic 3YO Championship, culminating in the Group 3 event of the same name for his owners the Warplan Racing Stable. The gelding then took on the older horses in the Sgp-1 Raffles Cup, finishing second to Super Ninteyseven in a gallant effort.

David Ellis of Te Akau Racing purchased War Affair for $70,000 at the 2012 Karaka Premier Sale from Trelawney Stud. The gelding by New Zealand’s Champion Sire O’Reilly is due to return to racing this Sunday at Kranji over 1200m.

Star Ready to Run graduate Super Ninetyseven was endowed with the Champion Miler title as he came of age to win the Sgp-1 Raffles Cup. The sometimes erratic son of Show a Heart had displayed plenty of promise early in his career but his manners often let him down. The four-year-old also won the Spg-3 Committee’s Prize on his way to Group 1 Glory.

The same connections of Super Easy combined with Super Ninetyseven with Michael Freedman training the gelding for owners the Joy N Happiness Stable. Ms Foo Oi Ling purchased Super Ninetyseven at the 2011 Ready to Run Sale for $125,000 from Lyndhurst Farm.

It was a successful evening not only for New Zealanders of the equine variety with ex-pat trainer Laurie Laxon crowned Singapore’s Champion Trainer for the eighth time.