Luke Middlebrook's Bio

Luke has been a devout follower and form student of horse racing in Hong Kong and Singapore for over 10 years, during which time he became renowned as a leading analyst for Asian racing through various social media channels. In June 2016, Luke moved to Singapore to join the iRace Media as Chief Editor for the English edition, where he oversees all form-related and editorial content for horse racing in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Kranji Racecourse – Track Analysis (Singapore Derby Day):

Kranji Racecourse features two distinguished left-hand turns – the Short Course and the Long Course. For the Long Course, the track is at its truest, with all gallopers getting their chance of success given that there is a 500m final sprint to salute the judge.

Eight races of the Singapore Derby Day, which are set solely on the Long Course on turf track, distances range from 1,200m to 1,800m, will be simulcast to Hong Kong.

For the featured 1,800m Singapore Derby and one of the Class 4 Handicap races, there's a 1,000m backstretch run before hitting the turn. Competitors will have adequate ground to either drop towards the rail or find cover, depending on their usual racing pattern. However, to suggest being drawn out wide is a disadvantage may not be a plausible excuse, given the ample ground there is to take up a position in the early stages.

Riders will have lesser ground to find a conducive position in running in the two 1,200m races – the Class 1 Handicap and one of the Class 4 Handicap races. They are with only about 400m - at best - before the turn presents itself. It puts those drawn wide in a potentially precarious position.

For the 1,400m Class 5 Handicap and two Class 4 Handicap races, riders have about 600m of the same section before the turn, with that extra 200m pivotal for those drawn widest to find cover – drawn wide isn’t necessarily a disadvantage with some early intent.

While for the 1,600m Class 3 Handicap, there's an 800m backstretch run before hitting the turn; ample opportunity to find a position in running before the race heats up.

A field of eight went to post in last year's G1 Singapore Derby on a bright and sunny day. The going was officially rated as good. The small field resulted in a leisurely run race – every horse had its chance and the highest rated 4YO's, generally, were prominent in the finish.

The Singapore Derby being run during July is during Singapore's Southwest Monsoon season. Singapore can expect the development of localised short-duration thundery showers, according to the Meteorological Service Singapore, during this time, mostly in the late morning and afternoon, as the land areas heat up. Should heavy rain arrive, a quick downgrade to a yielding track can be expected, and as such, don't be surprised to see riders avoid the inside rails and make use of the better ground out wider.

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