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Military Attack Too Good In Singapore Cup

The John Moore trained Military Attack dominated the S$3m, Group 1 Singapore Airlines International Cup at Kranji on Sunday to complete an impressive international Group 1 double after winning the Audemars Piguet QEII Cup last month.

Military Attack<br>Photo by Racing and Sports
Military Attack
Photo by Racing and Sports

The win was so comprehensive that Zac Purton twice looked over his shoulder just to check the ever increasing margin to the rest of the field. At the line the margin was still 3 1/4L with Purton slowing up as they thrashed the best field ever assembled for the Cup.

From barrier four Purton was able to settle well in fourth as the field went through to the back straight.

The pace was kept on up front after Meandre was taken to the front by Russian jockey Khanzat Ulubaev.

With 800m to run Meandre was still stepping out in front followed by Flax and Manoel Nunes and Hunter's Light and Silvestre de Sousa. Purton and Military Attack were sixth tracking on the rails with Pastorius and Oliver Peslier ahead in fifth.

As the field swung for the main straight with 400m to run the field fanned. Red Cadeaux and Gerald Mosse went wide for a run and they looked to be travelling strongly, but it was inside where the real action was exploding.

Purton gave up on chasing Pastorius and searched for a faster passage when one off the rails a gap appeared and he went past the only horse he had to as Meandre faded. Military Attack showed an immediate turn of foot that had him leading with 300m to run and the rest of the field were left behind.

Purton looked over his shoulder once with 125m to run, and then again, and with the win very safe he cruised Military Attack to the line. It was a complete performance and surely now Moore must be thinking further afield and to Australia in the spring with the 2040m of the WS Cox Plate a target.

Moore's night was also a total success with stablemate Dan Excel (IRE) (Shamardal)and Weichong Marwing second. It was Moore's first international Group 1 outside of Hong Kong.

Mawingo (GER) (Tertullian) and Hugh Bowman were third, Lizarre fourth and Mull Of Killough fifth. The margins were a head, 3/4L and 1/2L. The time was 1.59.58 on the Good rated track.

“I am really pleased about that,” said Moore.

“That was a really convincing win like Lucky Nine. I just over the moon, what can I say, ecstatic, it has finally got the icing on the cake.

“This was an emphatic win. I am so happy I got the horse and Purton gave him the best ride you have ever seen and finally got the monkey off the back, absolutely ecstatic.

“It was another Hong Kong reproduction and I am happy for both (stablemates) with Dan Excel running second, that was great. But anyway I have got the monkey off the back for the team in Hong Kong and for the team here and George.

“Up the Aussie's and the Hong Kong'ers,” he exclaimed.

“To do what he has done against that class of field, they said it is the strongest race they have ever been able to assemble and it is scary to think how much he has improved in the last three or four months,” said Purton.

“I came here thinking I had a good chance. I would have been happy just to win but to blow them away like that is a phenomenal performance.

“All night horses near the speed have been favoured and historically this race is not really run at a fast tempo although tonight it turned out to be a little bit different.

“I just began and put myself in a good position and I let Pastorius come around me at the 1500m and of course I thought he was the right horse to be following.

“My horse was just a little bit unbalanced and I thought if I put him on the fence it will just give him something to keep him more tractable. And then from the 700m I was looking once again to get on the back of Pastorius thinking he would drag me into the race, but I could see he was gone and Dan Excel was travelling really well and Mawingo was pinching ground and saving time getting runs so I thought I would follow him through.

“Then the saloon passage just opened up for me and he did the rest. It was a great effort,” he said.

Military Attack is a five-year-old gelding by Oratorio out of the Almaaseh and this was his 10th win from 22 races. With four placings he has now earned stakes of approx. A$4.1 million for owners Mr and Mrs Steven Lo Kit Sing.
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