SEPALS READY TO BLOOM IN AUSSIE GUINEAS

Cliff Brown’s Singapore Guineas roll of honour features two trophies, and both picked up by arguably the two best horses he trained at Kranji – Debt Collector (2016) and Inferno (2020).

- Michael Lee

On March 1, the Australian trainer will bid for his home version of the three-year-old mile classic with Sepals at Flemington.

A win by the son of Calyx would not only better Tarnpir Lane’s third in 1997 and Fubu’s fourth in 2001, but will hand the astute horseman’s first Group 1 silverware since relocating back home in 2021.

One year after Inferno’s Guineas win, Brown pulled up stumps after 12 successful seasons in Singapore to return to his home state of Victoria, setting up at Mornington.

Inferno was among the few who joined him on the plane, but found the competition much hotter in Melbourne. Renamed The Inferno, the son of Holy Roman Emperor did win the Group 2 McEwen Stakes (1,000m) at Moonee Valley in 2021, but could not revisit the winner’s circle in his 22 next starts.

His trainer has enjoyed much better success, albeit not quite like in his halcyon days at Kranji.