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Bel Sprinter ready to fly

| August 18, 2013

bel-sprinter_xxAustralian speedster Bel Sprinter carries the hopes of a nation as he lines up in Sunday’s Group One KrisFlyer International Sprint in Singapore.

Bel Sprinter, the only Australian-trained horse in the KrisFlyer, came up with gate 10 in a field of 11 at Thursday’s barrier draw for the 1200m feature at Kranji, but given the gelding’s history of being tardy away an outside stall could prove an advantage.

“I’m more than happy (for him) to be out there,” said trainer Jason Warren.

“He’ll be loaded late which is a plus and they tell me there’s plenty of speed so he’ll be likely to settle back in any case.

“Hopefully he can run over the top of them like he did in the Galaxy.”

Already with $743,825 in the bank from his 15 starts, the five-year-old Bel Esprit gelding is racing for a share of $800,000 on offer in the first international outing for his Mornington Peninsula trainer Jason Warren.

With the legendary Black Caviar, also sired by Bel Esprit, retired, Bel Sprinter wants to claim to the now vacant title of Australia’s best sprinter.

Bel Sprinter has not raced since finishing third to Black Caviar in the final race of her career, the T.J. Smith Stakes at Randwick in April, but part-owner Roger Clancy is confident that the freshen-up will have the bay gelding at his best in Sunday’s field of 11.

Clancy has supported Warren from the start.

After racing a few horses with the Freedman brothers, Clancy met Warren when he was foreman for the famed racing family and then supported him when he decided to go out on his own.

Clancy, who is from Geelong, was among a group of other owners who raced Bel Sprinter’s dam – Gavroche by Snippets.

“My mate who was in it with me, Glen Bailey, took her when she was finished and put her to Bel Esprit,” Clancy said.

“He didn’t catch us by surprise because he has got some good breeding in him. We knew he would have a bit of speed, but we never thought he’d be this good. But here we are in Singapore and you have to give so much of the credit to Glen.

“Everyone who has a horse hopes they are going to be good, but at no stage did we think he’d be this good.”

The other owners are Warren’s wife Yasmin, Wayne Ford, Craig Nankervis, Nathan Theos, Bill Patrick and Nick Brown.

“Glen and I originally had 50 per cent each of the horse and all he wanted to do was breed the horse and move on and breed other horses, but he did a wonderful job raising him,” Clancy said.

“I offered a couple of people a share but they weren’t interested and for blokes like Nathan and Craig, it was a case of being in the right place at the right time because this is their first horse.

“They are all mates. Bill and Nick are from Perth and are friends of Glen Bailey’s.”

The owners have all travelled to Singapore for the race, with the exception of Brown and Patrick who are also first-time owners.

There will be a significant Aussie presence in the jockey and trainer ranks.

Sydney’s leading jockey Hugh Bowman rides Bel Sprinter having partnered him to third behind Black Caviar in the TJ Smith Stakes at Randwick last month.

Corey Brown started a stint in Singapore late last month and rides the Michael Freedman-trained Mr Big, one of two runners for the trainer, while fellow Singapore-based Australian Danny Beasley partners Goal Keeper.

Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Brett Prebble rides the Hong Kong sprinter Lucky Nine for Caspar Fownes, while Sydney-based South African Glyn Schofield is on the Mike De Kock-trained Kavanagh.

Schofield enjoyed success at the meeting two years ago when he rode Gitano Hernando in the Singapore Airlines International Cup (2000m).

Mawingo, who has been transferred from Anthony Freedman in Melbourne to his Singapore-based brother Michael, has drawn barrier two for Sunday’s Singapore Airlines International Cup (2000m) with Bowman to ride.

Mawingo hasn’t won since claiming the Group One Doomben Cup on the corresponding weekend last year.IT’S been a case of beginner’s luck for some of the owners of talented sprinter Bel Sprinter who will push his earnings beyond $1 million if successful in Sunday’s KrisFlyer International Sprint at Singapore’s Kranji track.

 

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