Shinn set for Singapore stint on way back for Melbourne spring

Blake Shinn is set for a four-week stint in Singapore, securing the ride aboard Amazing Breeze in the Singapore Derby, before heading back to Australia for the Melbourne spring carnival.

Blake Shinn is heading for a short stint in Singapore. (Photo by Lo Chun Kit /Getty Images)

In a boost for the Singapore Turf Club, Blake Shinn – whose time riding in Hong Kong concludes at the end of the current season – will feature in Singapore from July 17 until August 15.

The experienced jockey will use it as a launching point back into Melbourne, with his first meeting back on home soil expected to be on August 20.  

Shinn confirmed he will ride Amazing Breeze for trainer Jerome Tan in the Singapore Derby on his first day riding there on July 17.

“When the club approached me to come and ride in Singapore on Derby day, I looked into it, did the research and he was one of the main options,” Shinn told Asian Racing Report.

“I liked what I saw in his lead-up and think he’s certainly a horse capable of running a competitive race in the Derby.

“He hit the line really well in his last start and his win prior to that was quite impressive.”  

Kiwi-bred Amazing Breeze has won three of his 16 starts, including a Class 3 race at Kranji in May. The four-year-old subsequently finished fifth in the Stewards Cup, a local Group Two event held at Kranji on June 26, coming from well off the pace in a leader-dominated race.

“I am very happy I have the chance to engage a top jockey for this horse, he can be a handful,” Tan said.

“He can pull and over-race like crazy if ridden the wrong way. Hopefully Blake can work his magic.

“I am really grateful to the STC and the officials for the opportunity to bring Blake in, it is a positive move.”

Shinn previously rode in Singapore in 2015, winning two races and riding Twickenham into eighth place in the Derby for trainer Stephen Gray.

“That was a great experience and this is another great opportunity given to me by the Club and the timing is perfect,” Shinn said.

“Obviously I’m heading back to Melbourne for the Spring Carnival and this is a very important time of year for Singapore with a couple of these big races.”

Shinn announced in April that he would return from Hong Kong after three seasons, citing the challenges of working in an environment with strict COVID restrictions as one of his major reasons for leaving.

The current season has been his most successful in Hong Kong and he has ridden 37 winners, placing him eighth in the Hong Kong Jockeys’ Premiership. Wednesday’s card at Happy Valley will be his final Hong Kong meeting, as he will serve a suspension which will see him miss the final three fixtures of the season.  

Shinn has ridden the winners of three Group One races in Hong Kong this season, scoring on Sky Field in the Hong Kong Sprint and aboard Russian Emperor in both the Hong Kong Gold Cup and Champions & Chater Cup.

He will leave for Singapore this Sunday and after his time there will team up with jockey agent Liam Prior in seeking rides through the Melbourne spring carnival. The intention is that he will be back riding in Australia at the Moonee Valley meeting on August 20.

“I plan to ride throughout the Spring Carnival in Melbourne and then make a further decision on where to base myself after that,” he said.

Shinn began his riding career in Victoria and in 2005 became the first apprentice to win the Scobie Breasley Medal. He has ridden over 1700 winners, and won 20 Group One races in Australia, the most recent aboard Trapeze Artist in the 2019 Canterbury Stakes.  

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