Leung Ho Yin, Simon's Bio
Simon is a well respected full-time thoroughbred racing commentator specializing in overseas international racing. Bringing with him a wealth of racing knowledge, Simon is the host and race caller for the overseas simulcast programme since 2008/09 season. He is currently the presenter on several racing television programmes including, ‘Racing Horizon’ and ‘Horse Racing – Results’.

Kranji Racecourse – Track Analysis (Singapore Gold Cup Day):

Featuring two separate, left-handed far turns (the Short Course and the Long Course) of distinct curvatures round the bends, the Kranji Racecourse – a level and spacious track – will stage the Singapore Gold Cup on the Long Course, as per the continued custom through the past five years.

For the featured 2200m Singapore Gold Cup, with a full 400m stretch run passing the just for the first time before hitting the clubhouse turn – together with more pedestrian pace early in route races – outside-drawn runners still have all the time to save ground and reach for the rail. In the 2016 edition of this prestigious event contested on good ground, BAHANA, Craig Williams up, was sent forward swiftly to snatch both the rail and the lead soon after the break, and denied all comers to wire it every step of the way, while TIME ODYSSEY, though hounding the winner all the way around, could never get by, and just settled for second, and BLUE SWEDE, late to the scene, stormed home furiously from out wide to check in third.

Meanwhile, on the day’s undercard, the 1200m turf event – with the starting gate moved up 200m, thus forcing an abbreviated 200m run-in before hitting the far turn, and quite a wicked one to say the least – outside-drawn runners would be floated wide into the turn if they cannot drop to the rail soon enough. Rather, with respectively 400m and 600m of backstretch in the 1400m and 1600m turf races, starters breaking from out wide still have plenty of time for good positioning, and while the Long Course features a full 450m stretch run to the finish, deep closers have every chance to reel in their competition.

Reviewing the mixed night meeting at Kranji on 3rd November, when the turf was good to stage all four sprint events, speed horses upfront dominated the competition all night long. With continued precipitation and scattered thunderstorms that will extend to race day, this year’s edition of the Singapore Gold Cup Day would probably be staged on soft or heavy goings; while speed horses are still praying for an edge on a good day, with expected rainfall in mind, this turf course would still play out in a dramatically opposite way.

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