Singapore Airlines Cup Preview and Betting Tips Part One

Things are definitely getting interesting down at Kranji Racecourse in Singapore as a number of first-rate globetrotters have all shipped in for a crack at the 2011 Singapore Airlines Cup. This high-profile contest boasts one of the most impressive purses in world racing and, with so much talent competing in Asia at the moment, there are plenty of interesting regional contenders looking to stake a claim against the glossy shippers.

The most recognizable invader is the irrepressible Presvis (Sakhee) and the bookmakers have already installed him as the early favourite, saddling him with a 3/1 price. He put in a game performance to conquer the Group 1 Dubai Duty Free to cap off a relatively successful stint at Meydan Racecourse during the carnival. However, his next race came at Sha Tin in Hong Kong and he was a beaten-sixth on the day but was still less than two lengths back. The usual pilot Ryan Moore will be up for this one and the pair of them have combined for some real classics in the past. Presvis' connections have made mention that he didn't really enjoy the Sha Tin surface and going right-handed just might have put him off a bit.

This is Presvis' third attempt at the race and he was just beaten by a head in 2009 thanks to Glorida De Campeao (Impression) – who went on the win the Dubai World Cup. 2010 saw him finish off the board running fifth with Lizard's Desire (Lizard Island) taking the spoils.

Presvis took plenty of money last year for this one and wound up going off as the 12/5 favourite so you wonder whether he drifts sharply on the day as punters who learned their lessons playing chalk last time give their wagers a second thought.

Local gelding California Memory (Highest Honor) is looking to be the selection that many assume will beat Presvis and win one for the home team. He's a Hong Kong Gold Cup winner and will still be showing some improvement throughout his fifth year. Lightly-raced for his age, he has only finished off the board once in a notable contest. He comes off a tough beat at his Sha Tin headquarters and you wonder whether he gets the quicker early speed he'll probably want if he stays in the back like he's done in the past. I'll admit I don't know a huge amount about him but he seems to have a pretty good measure of things and he definitely looks the picture. Horses like him tend to win these races but I'm just not sure whether his 5/1 holds or not.

River Jetez (Jet Master) will be looking for revenge on Presvis and she chases him all the way to Singapore to do it. There's some mysterious about the relationship between these two as the mare wasn't beaten by too much in the Dubai Duty Free and she was able to dispose of the better contenders on the female circuit at Meydan when she conquered the Group 2 Ballanchine. I firmly expect her to be in the reckoning on the way home unless she gets into some type of trouble or throws a shoe or comes up against a wall of horses or something like that. Anything can happen and Mike De Kock knows what he's doing if he's taking a horse this far. The bookmakers certainly think that River Jetez has a genuine shot at this one as she's priced at 6/1 and will likely take some money from those who consider Presvis to be beatable.