There is every likelihood trainer Cliff Brown will be a busy man on May 26 when the new Invitational night of racing takes centrestage at Kranji. He may have runners spread across the three glamour events.

The Australian handler is all but certain to be represented in at least two races. He has already declared Mister Yeoh as a runner in the third Leg of the Singapore Sprint Series, the $1 million Group 1 Lion City Cup (see other report) and What’s New in the third Leg of the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge, the $1 million Group 1 Singapore Guineas (1600m).

As for the new-look $1.5 million Group 1 Kranji Mile (1600m), the precursor to the International Group 1 race in 2019, Brown spearheads the charge among the local trainers with five entries.

Dicton (Olivier Peslier) during his racing days at the highest level in France (photo courtesy of Racing And Sports)

“Mister Yeoh is running in the Lion City Cup, Zac Kasa is out of the Guineas, but What’s New will be running in the Guineas, and I have entered five horses in the Kranji Mile,” he said.

They are the usual suspects of Elite Excalibur, Laughing Gravy, Mr Fatkid and Could Be Pearls along with a relative newcomer, Dicton, who is having his second Kranji start in the $100,000 Kranji Stakes B race over 1400m on Friday night.

The English-bred five-year-old by Lawman boasts a stellar resume from France where he won six races between 1400m and 1600m.

At his maiden win, he won a claiming 1400m race at Saint Cloud for French trainer Freddy Head and the Wertheimer family back in 2015.

Cast off as an underperformer, Dicton (which means proverb in French) caught the eye of Italian trainer Gianluca Bietolini who paid the princely sum of 22,000 euros for the then-colt.

His performances started to pick up with Robert Ng of Lucky Stable soon buying in – and the rest is history. Dicton won five more races in his new famous purple and red silks including the Group 3 Prix de Fontainebleau (1600m) at Chantilly in April 2016.

Dicton did not salute again but was placed in marquee races like the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains (1600m) and the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club (2100m) the same year. The international doors even opened up the next year when he was invited to the prestigious Group 1 Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2000m) in Hong Kong, running seventh to Japanese raider Neorealism.

Dicton has continued to race at the elite level in France with mixed results before being sent to Brown, who it would seem, was not only impressed by the glowing CV, but also by his positive attitude, even after his discreet debut 10th to Chopin’s Fantaisie in a Kranji Stakes B race over 1400m on April 1.

“I like him. I’ve entered him in the Kranji Mile, but I think he’s half a run short,” said Brown.

“He’s running tomorrow and I think he is going to run an improved race. We’re hoping he will make it for the Kranji Mile, but it might come a touch too soon.”

While Dicton had John Powell aboard at his Kranji debut, he will this time be ridden by Brown’s No 1 jockey Michael Rodd and has drawn barrier one.