Trainer Brian Dean has taken the lead of Australian trainers and searched Europe for a potential Singapore Gold Cup contender.
Dean is hoping his English import Honest Broker can win the Mandai Classic Stakes (2200m) at Kranji on Sunday to sneak into the G1 Gold Cup field on November 13.
“We used to go to New Zealand looking for stayers but they are getting hard to find,” Dean said. “Most of them get snapped up early or are out of our price range. That’s why I went to Europe looking for a staying type and came across Honest Broker.”
Honest Broker (4g Trade Fair – Kashra by Dancing Dissident) was trained by Mark Johnston and had won races at Lingfield, Kempton and Hamilton for owner-breeder Frank Towey.
The Irish bred stayer blew his rivals away with a stunning seven length victory when stepping up to 2200m at his last start at Kranji on September 23. “He stays all day,” Dean claimed. “He would have to be a lightweight chance in the Gold Cup.
“But even if he doesn’t make the field I won’t be too worried,” Dean admitted. “He’s an improving stayer and there’s always next year.”
Ironically, Dean didn’t have to travel all the way to Europe to find a Trade Fair. The former Tweenhills Farm sire initially shuttled from Gloucestershire to Western Australia but is now based permanently at Lynward Park in Bullsbrook.
Besides Honest Broker, his first northern crop includes Al Rep (G3 Italian 2000 Guineas) and Miss Starlight (G3 German Sheikh Hamdan Trophy).
Trade Fair (Zafonic) is a Juddmonte homebred and won at Group 3 level in the Criterion Stakes at Newmarket in addition to a Group 1 placing in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket.
He has sired 79 individual winners of 161 races to date at a 58% strike-rate.
Trade Fair didn’t have any southern bred two year-olds in 2010-11 due to E.I. but he has a bumper crop of youngsters ready to run this season.
There are 62 yearlings in his third southern crop and Singapore trainers like Dean will target them at the 2012 Perth Magic Millions.
The Mandai Classic Stakes is timed for 5.30 (Singapore time) on Sunday.
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