Singapore’s champion sprinter Rocket Man heads to Hong Kong next month in perfect order following his victory in the G3 Garden City Trophy (1200m) at Kranji on Friday night.  The Australian bred champion was eased up by Barend Vorster to score by more than four lengths from Fantastic Owners.  

Rocket Man (5g Viscount – Macrosa by McGinty) clocked 1.08.82s which was a little under one second off the course record held by Sacred Kingdom when he defeated Rocket Man in the 2009 KrisFlyer International Sprint.

Rocket Man will now head to Sha Tin to prepare for the HKJC Sprint on November 21 before the G1 Hong Kong International Sprint on December 12.  “He was having a good look at everything but I kept him concentrating,” Vorster said.  “He was on his best behaviour and got the job done in great fashion.”

He remains unbeaten on the Singapore domestic front with 11 wins from 14 starts with his only defeats – all second placings – coming in International Group events.

Rocket Man was bred by Tyreel Stud in NSW and is by former Woodlands stallion Viscount who is now based in Western Australia at Neville Duncan’s Oakland Park Stud.  He was sold at the 2007 Magic Millions National yearling sale on the Gold Coast for $60,000.

His dam Macrosa was a Randwick stakes winner and she is a half-sister to G1 AJC Australian Derby winner Ebony Grosve (Grosvenor).

Rocket Man is a half-brother to South African based galloper Our Giant (Giant’s Causeway) who has won at the elite level in the Mercury Sprint at Clairwood and the Horse Chestnut Stakes at Turffontein.