Flying Spur’s son Zac Spirit sealed his status as Singapore’s best sprinter with a dashing win in Sunday evening’s $S500,000 Lion City Cup 1200m Sgp-1.
Ridden by Alan Munro, 4YO gelding defeated arch-rival Emperor Max by 1.5 lengths in 1:08.78. Goal Keeper was a short head away in third place.
Zac Spirit has now won eight of his 12 starts and more than $S800,000 for the Zac Stable and trainer Cliff Brown who will now prepare him for his first attempt in international Group 1 company, the $S1 million KrisFlyer International Sprint on 18 May.
Brown said, “It’s been a long campaign for me and this horse, but today he really showed what he’s capable of and I’m really happy with the way he ran.”
“We just need to keep ticking him over and I think there’s still improvement in him before the KrisFlyer.” Zac Spirit takes Flying Spur’s tally of domestic and international Group 1 winners to 13, a collection headed by Mentality & Forensics, both three-time winners at the elite level. He has also achieved the Group 1 victory that eluded two other outstanding Singapore-based sons of Flying Spur, Lim’s Fighter and Flying Fulton.
Bred by Newhaven Park and Colin Tidy, Zac Spirit is out of Kidman (by Quest for Fame), a Group-placed city winner and also the dam of Zac Influence, whose Singapore record includes a Sgp-3 win and a third placing in the Raffles Cup Sgp-1.
This female family descending from the mare Summoned is one of the best-known in Australia, also responsible for Group 1 winners Greys Inn, Melito (by Redoute’s Choice) & Norzita. Summoned herself had five Group-winning progeny, including the champion 3YO, five-time Group 1 winner & valuable sire Zeditave, all bred by Colin Tidy.
Kidman has a yearling filly by Manhattan Rain and a weanling colt by Redoute’s Choice.
Flying Spur is no longer active in the serving barn, but he is enjoying a good season, thanks to Zac Spirit, Group 3 winner Spurtonic, 2YO stakeswinner Gold Force and Mushreq, successful in Dubai, and 18 stakes performers from his highly valued daughters.
While he relaxes in retirement at Arrowfield, Flying Spur’s record as champion sire (92 stakeswinners) and influential broodmare sire (42 stakeswinners) continues to grow.
