By Scott Bailey
The passing of Rocket Man at 20 years old marks the loss of one of the greatest sprinters ever to race in Singapore, with the closure of racing in Singapore in 2024 its greatest horse has followed. A horse whose rise from an Australian Magic Millions sale to international Group 1 glory captured the imagination of racing fans across the world.
Foaled in 2006, Rocket Man was a gelding by Viscount out of the McGinty mare Macrosa, bred in New South Wales by Dean R. Fleming. Before he became a household name at Kranji, he was purchased out of the Magic Millions Sales in Australia, a move that would prove inspired. Sent to Singapore to race for Alfredo Leonardo Arnaldo Crabbia and placed in the care of legendary trainer Patrick Bernard Shaw, Rocket Man soon developed into a sprinting force unlike any other.
He arrived at Kranji and immediately lit up the local scene with his sheer speed and presence. From the outset, Rocket Man showed he was no ordinary sprinter. He raced with a high cruising speed, a fierce will to win and a style that made him instantly recognisable. Singapore racing had seen stars before, but Rocket Man quickly became something bigger — a horse capable of carrying the Kranji banner onto the world stage.
His breakthrough at the elite level began in 2009 when he won the Lion City Cup, defeating Lim’s Fighter and Onceuponatime in 1:08.70. Just weeks later he ran second to Sacred Kingdom in the KrisFlyer International Sprint, beaten by one of the world’s best in a performance that confirmed his class. In 2010 he returned even better, winning the Lion City Cup again in 1:09.18 before chasing home Green Birdie in the KrisFlyer International Sprint and Kinsale King in the Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan. Later that year he proved his talent abroad when he stormed home to win the Jockey Club Sprint at Sha Tin in 1:08.82, before finishing second in the Hong Kong Sprint behind J J The Jet Plane and ahead of champion Sacred Kingdom.
If 2010 established him internationally, 2011 cemented his legend. In March that year Rocket Man produced one of the defining performances of his career when he won the Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan, defeating Euroears and Sunny King in 1:11.28. It was a historic moment for Singapore racing, as Rocket Man became the first Singapore-trained horse to win an overseas Group 1. He returned home and added another Lion City Cup in brilliant fashion, then delivered again on the big stage in the KrisFlyer International Sprint, defeating Eclair Fastpass and Perfect Pins to claim the Group 1 title that his talent had long deserved.
That same season he continued to dominate locally, winning Kranji Stakes A contests in August and November, and also took on the best sprinters in the world in Japan and Hong Kong. He ran fourth in the Sprinters Stakes at Nakayama behind Curren Chan and later contested the Hong Kong Sprint. Even when he ventured beyond Singapore, he was consistently taking on the very best and enhancing his reputation as one of Asia’s premier speed horses.
Rocket Man’s final year of racing in 2012 was short but still carried his trademark brilliance. He resumed by winning another Kranji Stakes A in March, defeating Rapido Star and Tuxedo Moon. He then returned to Meydan and again performed with distinction, finishing second in the Dubai Golden Shaheen behind Krypton Factor. Back on home soil, Rocket Man rounded out his career in fitting style by winning his fourth Lion City Cup on April 29, 2012, beating Better Be The One and Mr Big for record fourth straight win in the feature.
Across his career from 2009 to 2012, Rocket Man built a record that few can match. He raced at Kranji, Meydan, Sha Tin and Nakayama, and won at Kranji, Meydan and Sha Tin. His major victories included the 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 Lion City Cups, the 2010 Jockey Club Sprint in Hong Kong, the 2011 Dubai Golden Shaheen, the 2011 KrisFlyer International Sprint, and multiple Kranji Stakes A wins. He finished his career with 27 starts for 20 wins, five seconds and one fourth, with his name forever etched into the story of Singapore racing.
More than the numbers, Rocket Man was a horse who changed perceptions. He showed that a Singapore-trained sprinter could not only compete internationally but beat the world’s best. He gave Kranji a global flagbearer and gave local racing fans a champion to rally behind every time he stepped out. For Patrick Shaw and Fred Crabbia, he was the horse of a lifetime. For the racing public, they would turn up in big numbers just to watch him. Even racing fans from abroad made the trip to Singapore to say they saw him.
From an Australian sale ring to the grandest stages in Dubai, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore, Rocket Man’s journey was extraordinary. Even in passing, his legacy remains untouched. He was not just a champion sprinter. He was an icon of Kranji, a pioneer for Singapore racing, and a horse whose memory will endure wherever great sprinters are remembered. He had an extremely hard working team from his trainer Pat Shaw, assistant trainer Ricardo Le Grange and long-time strapper Jackie who did everything with him.
