Gitano wins at Kranji The former Marco Botti-trained Gitano Hernando won the Singapore Airlines International Cup at Kranji. Following on from Jay Peg's success in 2008, trainer Herman Brown this time landed the valuable event with the five-year-old, who was having only his second run for the yard. British raiders Presvis and Wigmore Hall took up their usual positions in the rear, but they were always in the wrong position given the slow pace set by California Memory. Richard Hughes, rider of Presvis, realised this with half a mile to run and moved up on the outside of runners, but was forced seven horses wide into the straight and faced an impossible task. Glyn Schofield was never far from the pace, in contrast, and took up the running with over a furlong to run, with Gitano Hernando eventually running out a ready winner. Brown said: "We haven't had the horse a long time. "I must congratulate the President (Ramzan Kadyrov, owner) and it was a great ride by Glyn Schofield. "I think the track is a bit sharp for him but, the way he rode him, it worked in our favour. "He's inclined to be a little bit slow out of the gate, which he was today, but I said to Glyn if you are going to commit, just keep going." Brown added: "We planned to come here, and even though we won the race I've never come here with a lot of confidence. "But I always thought 2000 metres was too short for him and that he'd be happier over this trip." Brown was unable to put forward a definite plan for his winner, but said: "I shall give him a break and it will be up to the owner where he goes." Hughes said of Presvis: "He slipped a bit on the bend and the ground was loose. "I never got a rhythm on him." California Memory went off a heavily-supported favourite on the track. His trainer, Tony Cruz, said: "We had to come out too strong. "It was what we feared before - that there would be no pace - and he paid the price."
