Kranji trainer Cliff Brown has the previously well performed New Rose Wood (AUS) in Sunday's S$3m, Group 1, SIA Cup (2000m) with fellow ex-pat Australian Danny Beasley riding the six-year-old Love A Dane mare owned by the Bukit Mas Stable.
New Rose Wood ran in the race last year but her form had tailed off before that race and she ran accordingly, but Brown has rejuvenated the dual Group 1 placed mare for another run at this level.
In February New Rose Wood was second over 1800m in Open company under Beasley and she then won at her next start over the same distance in the Marsiling Classic Stakes on the Polytrack.
Brown then sent her out in the Singapore Group 2 Queen Elizabeth Stakes over 2000m back on the Turf course and she ran a good second to the evergreen Waikato (NZ), closing to within a length of the Laurie Laxon trained perennial Group performer.
In Thursday's barrier draw the mare drew barrier 12, however, Brown was not worried over the wide barrier.
“It is okay and she gets back and it does not bother me at all. I would probably prefer to be a bit wide than drawn inside because at she point she will need to get going and if she was inside she would probably get held up, so no it is not the end of the world,” said Brown.
Beasley is doing a lot of the riding for Brown and they are working well together.
“Danny is doing a really good job for the stable and it suits us,” said Brown.
New Rose Wood might have to lift again for Sunday's race against international opposition with higher ratings than her 107, but she receives 1.5kg under WFA condition over the males. Her record to date is 32 starts and five wins and 10 placings with stakes of S$819,214.
This is Brown's fourth season
“Things are going really well. Each year we have got a bit better with time,” he said, “This year has been slow to start with, but it has picked up and it is a good place to be.”
He left Australia having been the youngest trainer in the history of Australian training to have trained three Derby winners at Group 1 level. He trained 13 Group 1 and 2 winners including winning the 1997 Rosehill Guineas, 2002 Adelaide Cup and the South Australian Derby in 1995, 1996 and 1999.
He then followed that up winning the 2011 Emirates Singapore Derby with Clint in a season when he trained 55 winners.
Brown said that he sources horses throughout the world with success in Argentina and Europe since the strength of the Australian dollar works against buying for Singapore.
“Argentina has been good to us and also Europe as with the Australian dollar being so high we can be a little bit more competitive there,” he said.
'Most of the horses with whom we have done well are Australian –bred, but it has just become so costly,” he adds.
Brown's stable has a strong Australian ownership base with up to 60% of the owners from Down Under, with Singapore and other parts of the world making up the balance.
Brown's family is settled in Singapore and the former Melbourne A grade trainer expects to be in Singapore for some time to come.
“Life here has been great for us,” said Brown.
