It was a Triple Crown first leg success for Debt Collector (pictured) in the Kranji Mile at Kranji Racecourse, Singapore, this Sunday. Becoming quite a star in Singapore, Debt Collector has won his last six races, including all five this year, as a four-year-old, of which four have been Group races. Attention now turns to the slightly longer distance Raffles Cup, and then the stamina-sapping Singapore Gold Cup, to see if Debt Collector can continue in his successes and become the first horse to win the Singapore Triple Crown since inception in 1999.

The Singapore Turf Club modelled their Triple Crown on the US model, with a final leg providing the greatest challenge just three weeks after the first leg. In addition to the showpiece in Singapore, we also delivered top level racing from the US this weekend. Belmont Park and Keeneland were the locations of three Graded races, with the winners gaining their entry to Breeders’ Cup Championship races at Santa Anita in three weeks’ time.

Hoppertunity beat the strong favourite Effinex to land the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes at Belmont Park. Both horses are expected to run in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, along with the well beaten Mubtaahij. Hoppertunity’s trainer, Bob Baffert, is no stranger to victory at the very top, having trained the spectacular American Pharoah last year. Bob potentially saddles three in the must see finale to the international racing season, and following this impressive result, Hoppertunity has fired himself into the category of leading contenders.

At Keeneland, the French bred Keep Quiet and the odds on favourite I’m A Chatterbox were able to secure their ticket for the Juvenile Turf and Longines Distaff respectively. Both horses were ridden on the evening by French jockey Florent Geroux. Florent is having his best season ever by far, so far notching up over $14,000,000 in prize money and achieving a 20%-win strike rate.

There remains only one more Challenge race for the Breeders’ Cup, taking place this evening at Keeneland. It’s then all sights firmly set on the 13 races at Santa Anita on Friday 4th & Saturday 5th November, where over $26 million in prize money is on offer!