3 minute read

Trainer Cliff Brown and jockey Danny Beasley combined for an early double on the Singapore's biggest raceday.

The duo won the opening race, the $55,000 Singapore Airlines A380 Sydney Stakes over 1400m before Just Dashing took out the $55,000 Singapore Airlines A380 Paris Stakes over 1800m.

They were naturally delighted with their achievement as Brown had changed up his usual routine for a “major” day.

He said that in previous years when it came to a major raceday his horses may have been over the top by the time it came to their races, but he decided this year to have his team on the way up and it paid dividends handsomely.

Just Dashing had been disappointing in his lead-up runs until he finished third at his last start behind Always Happy over 1400m on a wet track on May 6.

Appreciating the step up in distance, Just Dashing scored by a head over stablemate Steadfast Warrior (James McDonald) with the early leader Sky Protege three-quarters-of-a-length away third.

“I thought both of the horses ran really well,” said Brown.

“I've probably had my horses maybe past their best in previous years so this year I made the decision to have them on the way up.

“So far it has worked and we've still got a few more chances. Hopefully I'll be talking to you a bit later on.”

Beasley said he had been disappointed with how Just Dashing had been going but he turned it around when third at his last start.

“He had been racing pretty ordinary so I put him to sleep and let him run home and it switched him on,” said Beasley.

“Jumping to the 1800m today was always going to be ideal for him and I said to Cliff that I wanted to ride him the same way.

“We had a perfect run throughout the whole race. I got a good run through the field and when I got him to the outside that was the only work he had to do.

“He's got a sprint of 400m, so he'd nearly had had enough on the line.”

He added that when the barrier draw came out – Steadfast Warrior had six while Just Dashing drew the widest gate – he thought he had made a mistake a wished he could have ridden the second horse.

A maiden performer, Jeram Clipper was having his first start in Singapore having previously been prepared in Melbourne by Jim Conlan.

“Jim said he might be a good horse for Singapore and so far he's been proven right,” said Brown.

“We couldn't find a 1400m maiden for him so we had to run him in this instead.

“He's a horse that will need even further than this so hopefully he'll have a good career here in Singapore.”

The Brown double took his total of wins for the season to 18 and moved him into ninth place on the Trainers' Premiership Table.