Brown taking aim at 4th S.A. Derby honours
ADELAIDE The adage of not making decisions on race day has rung true for Cliff Brown and his A$1 million (S$836,000) Group 1 South Australian Derby hope Scintillante.
Soon after Scintillante crossed the line after the Group 3 Chairman's Stakes (2,000m) at Morphettville on April 26, Brown was ready to head back to Melbourne.
But, after watching the replay of the race a few times and looking at the sectionals, Brown has decided to stay on in Adelaide and take his chance with Scintillante in Saturday's Group 1 race for three-year-olds over 2,500m at Morphettville.
He knows what it takes to win the South Australian Derby, having taken the race with Cheviot in 1996, Markham (1997) and Blue Murder (2000) while Yaphet finished second in 2022 behind Jungle Magnate.
And as most Singapore racing fans would also know, the former Kranji-based conditioner also has the 2011 Singapore Derby silverware earned by Clint sitting proudly on his Mornington stable office sideboard.
Brown notched up 567 winners during his 12 years in Singapore from 2008 to 2021, including 34 at Group level, 13 of which in Group 1 races. Besides the Derby, his other notable Group 1 highlight was the 2017 Singapore Gold Cup with Gilt Complex.
But he is probably better remembered for his two top horses, the Barree Stable duo of Debt Collector and Inferno, who cut a swathe during their respective reigns, from 2016 to 2019 and 2019 to 2020.
While Covid-19 was the main push factor behind Brown's reason to depart Singapore, Inferno was also a major incentive.
Renamed The Inferno, the son of Holy Roman Emperor unfortunately did not recapture that brilliance at his new home, although the career began promisingly with one Group 2 win at his second start, the McEwen Stakes (1,000m) at Moonee Valley in September 2021.
The Kranji dual-Group 1 winner and eight-time winner did not win again in another 22 starts and was recently retired.
Brown has since been pottering around with a tally of 80 winners in four seasons since returning to Australia, mostly at provincials like Pakenham, Cranbourne or Moe.
But the 56-year-old has yet to put the bridle on a superstar of the same class as Inferno or Tarnpir Lane, his first champion back in Australia - even if Group 3 CS Hayes winner Sepals and Group 3 Shaftesbury Avenue Handicap winner Von Hauke have kept him nipping away at the elite level.
The days of his 13 Group 1 and Group 2 successes on home soil are starting to date.
But Brown is not losing hope in the new generation coming through, like Sepals and Scintillante, to take him back to those halcyon years.
At his first trip to Adelaide, Scintillante finished a closing third in the Listed Port Adelaide Guineas (1,800m) on April 12.
On the strength of that performance, the son of Savabeel was heavily supported to win the Chairman's Stakes last week.
But the race did not pan out as expected for Brown and jockey Blake Shinn.
The one-time Sale winner over 1,717m beat only two runners home, finishing seven lengths from the winner Athanatos.
With Shinn electing to stay in Melbourne and ride at Caulfield on Saturday, Brown has called on Billy Egan to ride Scintillante.
Like Brown, fellow-Victorian Egan is a former South Australian Derby winner, guiding Dunkel to success in 2023.
"I think it is very rare that a horse to the eye runs so poorly and then a week later turns it around, but I think there are circumstances as to why he didn't finish off like he could have," said Brown.
"I re-watched the replay, saw the speed it was run at. The sectionals were actually pretty good.
"He ran the fourth quickest in the last 600, 400 and 200 of the race without getting any room.
"He's come through the race well, and he's had a fairly quiet week. I've done a blood on him, he's done some light work every day and he's eaten up everything.
"Hopefully Billy can ride him a little closer from the draw."
Scintillante has drawn barrier 5 and is currently quoted at 15-1 on the Australian market. The favourite remains Statuario at 5-2.
The South Australian Derby will be run at 2.35pm Singapore time. SKY RACING WORLD
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