Indigenous earned connections another big international pay cheque with a fine third placed run behind Grandera and Paolini in the Singapore Airlines International Cup (Gr.1-2000m), the third leg of the World Series Racing Championship. Olympic Express, the other Ivan Allan-trained runner in the S$3 million showpiece, finished a very creditable fourth.

Grandera

Following his excellent third in the Audemars Piguet QEII Cup last month, Indigenous' terrific effort at Kranji means that the veteran campaigner is now in fourth place in the World Series standings on eight points. The Godolphin-trained Grandera leads the table on 14 points with Street Cry and Eishin Preston tied on 12 points apiece.

Western Pride cut out early speed in the Cup as Indigenous settled about four lengths behind on the fence with Olympic Express a couple of lengths further back and three wide. Off the home turn Paolini came out of the pack to lead, but Grandera soon overhauled him and shot clear to register a two lengths success with another two and a half lengths and two and a quarter lengths back to the Hong Kong runners. The time of the race was 2 minutes and 1.3 seconds.

"I'm very pleased with both my horses," said trainer Ivan Allan. "Olympic Express is improving. Last year he would have finished lengths behind Grandera but his performance shows he is closing the gap. Indigenous has run another very honest race. I would love to be able to put his heart into a three-year-old."

Allan added that Indigenous would contest the ING Hong Kong Champions & Chater on Sunday, May 19. A decision on the participation of Olympic Express in the final leg of Hong Kong's Triple Crown has been deferred. Both horses will return to Hong Kong on Tuesday.

Indigenous' jockey Olivier Doleuze said: "They went fast through the early stages and I just followed the pace. He couldn't match the winner and the runner-up in the straight but he has a very big heart and he has given me everything. He raced like a four-year-old! I'm very proud of him."

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the Hong Kong Jockey Club's Executive Director of Racing, was "very pleased with the result."

He said: "That a nine-year-old like Indigenous can perform like that against some of the best horses in the world is remarkable. Olympic Express deserves credit also having been forced to race wide and come from behind. This young horse will continue to progress."

Supporters of Firebolt and Charming City, Hong Kong's challengers in the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Sprint (Gr.3-1200m), knew their fate at the top of the home straight as the pair failed to stay in touch with the pacesetting Superb Effect from Singapore and the winner, North Boy, trained by Tony McEvoy at Lindsay Park in South Australia.

Although he was forced to race three-wide on the track, Firebolt was always right on the speed while Charming City, who was also caught three-wide, stalked the leaders from about two lengths off the pace. But as the scorching tempo up front was increased off the home turn, the Hong Kong pair simply failed to kick as North Boy loomed upsides Superb Effect and asserted inside the final 200 metres to score by three and half lengths in a track record time of 1 minute and 9 seconds for the 1200 metres. Superb Effect was second with the Japanese mare Air Thule staying on for third two and a quarter lengths further back. Firebolt was seventh past the post with Charming City finishing ninth.

Dwayne Dunn, Charming City's jockey said: "He didn't fire like he did on his last run [when he won the Chairman's Sprint Prize (HKGr.1-1200m)]. But take nothing away from the winner. He had a perfect draw and a perfect trip and good luck to him."