Southern Legend To Remain In HK To Race In Gr.2 Chairman’s Trophy
In the wake of uncertainty raised by the spread of COVID-19, Caspar Fownes trained-Southern Legend will now take on an unscheduled assignment in the Gr.2 Chairman’s Trophy at Sha Tin.
All roads were supposed to lead to the SIN Gr.1 Kranji Mile in Singapore on 23 May, but with the racing calendar in the Lion City reduced to one meeting a week until at least 30 April, and the program less than certain beyond that, trainer Caspar Fownes has had to shift to a changeable Plan B.
Southern Legend has won the last two editions of Singapore’s international feature but with the hat-trick bid now in doubt, Fownes has opted to pitch his stable star into this weekend’s mile contest against the division’s high-weights, Beauty Generation and Waikuku.
Beauty Generation and Waikuku will take in the Gr.2 contest as a lead-up to their big clash at the end of April in the Gr.1 FWD Champions Mile at Sha Tin. Southern Legend was third to Beauty Generation in that race two seasons back and although the contest was not on the agenda this time around, that could change.
Southern Legend was in fine form through the autumn with a win in the Gr.3 Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse Handicap and a sound third to Exultant in the Gr.2 Jockey Club Cup, but his form has trailed off in four runs since.
The Chairman’s Trophy forms a Gr.2 double-header on Sunday alongside the Sprint Cup which the highly-regarded young gun Aethero is slated to return to action against the likes of the high-class grey Hot King Prawn.