South African jockey Brett Smith has finally broken through for his first success in Singapore.

In early September, the 41-year-old was granted a four-month freelance permit to ride in Singapore until 31 December.

Opportunities have been limited for Smith and it was fellow South African Michael Clements who provided him with his maiden success in the island state which has a magnificent track at Kranji, the venue of the Group 1 Singapore Airlines International Cup and the Group 3 Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Sprint.

Smith and Clements combined to win with SIR JAMES, a six-year-old brown New Zealand gelding by Centaine out of the Sovereign Parade mare Talking, in a Benchmark 48, Div 1 - 1,600m race this afternoon.

Meanwhile, another South African trainer will be plying his trade in this part of the world.

Kevin Coetzee, 44, has been granted 15 stables at Ipoh, one of the three racetracks in Malaysia. The other two being Penang and Sungei Besi in Kuala Lumpur. The three Malaysia tracks take turn to host meetings for Malaysian based horses.

Turfonline.com

LONHRO BACK TO BEST

Lonhro bounced back from his Cox Plate failure to land his third Group One win in the $500,000 Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) at Flemington, while New Zealand four-year-old Distinctly Secret turned in an outstanding Melbourne Cup trial.

Trainer John Hawkes said the Mackinnon was something of a consolation for Lonhro. "It was a different race today, he`s not up against the elite horses today," Hawkes said. "It`s good to see him win but he`s definitely going to the paddock now. He`ll be a better horse in the autumn." Just as last week`s Waterford Crystal Mile winner Royal Code looked likely to win, the favourite Lonhro pulled out that extra bit in the last few strides to score by a neck, while Distinctly Secret was only a nose away in third place with Dash For Cash a short half-head away fourth. Matamata trainer Mark Walker was delighted with Distinctly Secret`s effort. "Steven (jockey Steven King) said he needed a split earlier," Walker said. "It was a nice run, he`s trained on well and we just need a little luck on Tuesday. "He hasn`t had much (luck). He should have run second in the Caulfield Cup."

The Distinctly North gelding finished just over a length from the winner Northerly when fourth in the Caulfield Cup (2400m) at his previous outing. Last winter Distinctly Secret looked a good thing beaten in the Queensland Derby (2400m) when he was sent out favourite but travelled wide throughout before finishing fourth behind County Tyrone. Walker said he`d like to see the ground "very firm" for Tuesday`s $4 million Melbourne Cup (3200m). "In my mind Media Puzzle is probably the horse to beat. He likes it firm too," he said. Walker said Distinctly Secret was four kilograms heavier going into the Mackinnon than he weighed before the Caulfield Cup.

Distinctly Secret drops six kilos to 51.5kg in the Cup and managing owner David Ellis is confident of a big showing. "This (the Melbourne Cup) is the race Mark set him for and he`s bang on target," Ellis said.

The other Melbourne Cup horses engaged in the Mackinnon were New Zealand five-year-old Hail who ran an even race to finish eighth of the 11 runners, while Pentastic made ground from last to finish seventh. Jockey Darren Beadman has won three races on Lonhro this preparation including the Group Two Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) at Randwick and the Group One Yalumba Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield in which he wore down the now-retired champion Sunline. The striking Octagonal four-year-old has now won 13 of his 19 starts and more than $2.2 million in stake money. "He`s always been his dad`s son," Hawkes said.

source: aapracingandsports.com.au

BREEDER`S CUP PICK 6 UNDER SCRUTINY

The Breeder`s Cup pick 6 winners have come under scrutiny this week, following all 6 winners of the $4,646,289 pool, coming from the same betting outlet.

An employee of Autotote, the totalizator service of Catskills OTB, has been fired for alleged wrongdoing with regards to the Breeders` Cup Ultra Pick Six that is currently being investigated by the New York State Racing and Wagering Board. Scientific Games Corp., the parent company of Autotote, fired the unidentified employee after an internal investigation into the suspicious pick six won by a 29-year-old Maryland resident was conducted. The evidence gathered by Scientific Games has been turned over to New York state police and the state racing officials for their investigation.

In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, Scientific Games chairman Lorne Weil said, "As a result of our ongoing investigation to date, we have terminated one employee, whose identity along with other relevant information has been turned over to the authorities. We are taking all necessary steps to resolve this matter as quickly as possible, and will continue to keep all authorities fully informed."

A total of $4,646,289 was wagered on the Pick Six. There were six winning tickets with a payout of $428,392 each. The consolation payoff for five correct was $4,606.20. The payouts have been frozen. The six winning tickets were purchased through Catskill Off-Track Betting Corp. in New York, which is not licensed in Maryland. Published reports identified the bettor as Derrick Davis, who resides in Maryland.

adapted from bloodhorse.com

Grandera, the clear leader in the 2002 World Series Racing Championship, is being aimed at the final leg, the Group One Hong Kong Cup, which is run at Sha Tin, Hong Kong, on Sunday, December 15.

The four-year-old Grand Lodge colt, who finished a close third in Australia`s Group One Carlton Draught Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on October 26, has 32 World Series points, with his now-retired stable companion Marienbard in second on 24 points. The next highest points scorer has 16.

The winner of three Group Ones in 2002 is set to travel from Australia to Hong Kong on November 11 and will be prepared there for the 10-furlong Hong Kong Cup.

Grandera has raced in six countries this year and is making his second trip to Hong Kong, having run in the Group One Audemars Piguet QEII Cup in April.

Godolphin also heads the other three World Series categories, with 72 points in the owner standings while Godolphin`s Saeed bin Suroor has 76 points in the trainers` table and Godolphin`s retained rider Frankie Dettori tops the jockey standings with 60 points.

source: godolphin.com