Australian Bloodstock are eyeing the 2014 Caulfield Cup with Singing after the promising stayer finished second in the Hansa-Preis at Hamburg on Saturday.
Kris Lees will head to Newmarket to get Singing ready for the 2014 Caulfield Cup. Photo by: Daniel Costello
Singing was racing for the first time since he was purchased by Australian Bloodstock in May and he looked as though he was going to record his maiden win at Group level when he hit the front at the two furlong mark, but was run down in the final stages of the race by stablemate Protectionist.
Australian Bloodstock co-founder Luke Murrell said that he was thrilled with the performance and revealed that the Singspiel entire would likely have his next race start in the Group 1 Bayerisches Zuchtrennen (2000m) at Munich at the end of the month.
“He hit the front a little early and just got run down,” Murrell told TVN.
“Overall, we’re really happy with him.”
Australian Bloodstock have gone close to winning the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) and Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) in the past, with Lucas Cranach finishing 5th in the 2011 Caulfield Cup before coming third in ‘the race that stops a nation’, and Murrell said that Singing will follow a similar path to the Spring Racing Carnival as the retired Germany stayer.
Newcastle-based trainer Kris Lees will take over the preparations of Singing after he runs in the Bayerisches Zuchtrennen and will head to Newmarket in Great Britain to get the horse ready for the Caulfield Cup on October 18 – just like Lee Freedman did with Lucas Cranach in 2011.
“It worked well with Lucas Cranach and it will be good for Kris to go over early and start learning about him,” Murrell said.
“We’ll try and get him to the Caulfield Cup and see how he goes and he may progress to the Melbourne Cup.”
Singing made his racing debut with a win at Lyon at the end of 2012 and has been competitive at the highest level of racing in France, but has been unable to breakthrough for a black type win.
The four-year-old made his Group 1 debut with a fourth place finish behind Flintshire in the Group 1 Grand Prix De Paris (2400m) at Longchamp on July 13 last year and finished behind Gai Waterhouse-trained Tres Blue in the Group 2 Grand Prix De Deauville (2500m) on August 25.
Singing finished second behind the highly-rated Norse King in the Group 3 Prix Exbury at Saint Cloud on March 15 and was fifth in the Group 2 Prix De’Harcourt (2000m) on April 6 before finishing third in the Group 3 Prix D’Hedouville leading into the Hansa-Preis.
