Siam Blue Vanda (NZ) Sprints to Stewards’ Cup Success

Siam Blue Vanda (NZ) (Echoes of Heaven) produced a barnstorming finish to clinch his first black-type victory in Friday’s S$400,000 Stewards’ Cup (1600m) at Kranji.

Bought for $40,000 at the 2017 Ready to Run Sale at Karaka, the gelding has now won seven of his 15 starts and prize-money of more than S$276,000 (NZ$334,000).

The four-year-old was ridden by Harry Kasim on Friday and dropped back to third-last in the 13-horse field.

He was held up in traffic when trying to mount his run in the straight, but once he got into the clear, he charged home to beat his Michael Clements-trained stablemate Top Knight (Zoustar) by a short head.

“We got a bit squeezed in the straight, that made me lose a length,” Kasim said. “When I peeled him out, he gave me another gear.”

Clements compared Siam Blue Vanda to fellow Karaka graduate Countofmontecristo (NZ) (Echoes of Heaven), who has won nine races and almost S$2 million in stakes.

“The breed is the same as Countofmontecristo, as his sire is also Echoes of Heaven,” Clements said. “He is a late-maturing New Zealand-bred and is very similar to Countofmontecristo. He was very strong tonight.”