International honours for Gitano

The former Marco Botti-trained Gitano Hernando won the Singapore Airlines International Cup at Kranji.

Following on from Jay Peg’s success in 2008, trainer Herman Brown this time landed the valuable event with the five-year-old, who was having only his second run for the yard.

British raiders Presvis and Wigmore Hall took up their usual positions in the rear, but they were always in the wrong position given the slow pace set by California Memory.

Richard Hughes, rider of Presvis, realised this with half a mile to run and moved up on the outside of runners, but was forced seven horses wide into the straight and faced an impossible task.

Glyn Schofield was never far from the pace, in contrast, and took up the running with over a furlong to run, with Gitano Hernando eventually running out a ready winner.