Trainer Cliff Brown continued his rich vein of form in feature races when Laughing Gravy made away with the $500,000 Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2000m) on Sunday.

The Australian handler recently swept the last two Legs of the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge with the outstanding Debt Collector and earlier put in his keeping the Group 1 Lion City Cup after his champion sprinter Zac Spirit landed the country’s premier sprint race for the second time in three years.

He was not so lucky with his trio of Poseidon, Ares and Divided House in the Group 2 Stewards’ Cup (1400m) last week, but his growing reputation as a big-race trainer was back in full force in the QEII Cup, a race he had never won before in his 10 years since relocating from Narbethong to Kranji.

The unassuming 47-year-old will probably laugh off the “big-race trainer” tag or retain only the big part of it, but his Midas touch in the races that matter the most of late cannot be denied.

After showing a decent dose of potential in lesser company over shorter trips, Laughing Gravy showed he was really a late bloomer when he suddenly exploded onto the scene at his last run in a Kranji Stakes A race over 2000m on May 15.

Ridden by lightweight apprentice jockey Rueven Ravindra due to his postage-stamp weight of 49.5kg, that day, he missed the kick, but stormed home to a thumping 4 ¾-length win.

Yes, it was an eye-opener about his knack for longer trips, but at Weight-for-Age level in the QEII Cup, which was for the first time elevated to Group 1 status, fewer warmed up to his chance of a repeat feat, especially against the top drawer material he was facing – Quechua, Stepitup, Fastnet Dragon, Perfect P, Cooptado, the who’s who of Singapore middle-distance ranks.

But Brown could harbour a silent hope he could still pass muster at level weights, though it was a little extinguished after his barrier trial on Tuesday when he beat one home. It was quickly rekindled after Laughing Gravy’s new rider Glen Boss gave him the real low-down after he jumped off.

“I thought he needed to improve, but Glen had a different opinion and he convinced me,” said Brown.

“Look, I’m hopeless when it comes to being positive and even my wife has to remind me all the time I worry about everything, but it’s worked out good.

“I was actually happy all week with the way he has trained and was going into the race. Just getting him to the 2000m was the key with him.

“He looked like he would be wide and they would keep him up, but credit to Glen for pressing on at the first turn.

“He was in a good spot from that point and I did tell Glen if (Manoel) Nunes backs off the speed, to let him go as he’s a freewheeling type of horse and it’s worked out perfect.”

The three-time Melbourne Cup-winning jockey certainly read the race astutely from the outset when he pushed the Primus five-year-old from barrier rise to vie for a prominent spot by the first bend before settling for third place outside One Rar (Matthew Kellady) and behind the pace set by the expected frontrunner Order Of The Sun (Nunes).

Boss never bustled his mount up for the entire journey until he decided to go for broke just before the home turn as he sensed the leader was already feeling weary-legged. Laughing Gravy ghosted past and opened up to a commanding break that left his rivals gasping for breath.

Winning members from the Laughing Gravy Stable including part-owners Peter Lee (holding the QEII
Cup trophy), Mr Chua (light blue shirt), Paul Robbins (behind Glen Boss) and Nick Johnston (right)
celebrate with jockey Glen Boss, trainer Cliff Brown and friends.

But weights and measures did come into play inside the last 200m as he came back to the field, unsurprisingly led by the proven stayer Cooptado (Barend Vorster) in the field, and smokie Bourbon Goldman (Alan Munro).

Laughing Gravy ($25) never let up, though, as he careered away to his fourth win on the trot. Boss could whoop it up for his second Singapore Group 1 win six years later, albeit not as flamboyantly as his high-standing celebratory flourish at his 2010 Longines Singapore Gold Cup winning ride aboard Risky Business for trainer Steven Burridge (which did lighten up his pocket by $1,000 with a fine compared to $500 on Sunday).

The daring catch-me-if-you-can tactics once they pinched a break at the point of turn certainly echoed the Australian rider’s confidence.

“He smashed them at his last run and was up in grade this time, but I think people ignore the obvious,” the champion jockey reasoned.

“Cliff had him going and had presented him very well for the race. He gave me a lot of confidence when I rode him in a barrier trial on Tuesday.

“He gave me a winning feeling, but Cliff thought it was a bit plain. I told him: ‘Mate, he’s a 2000m horse and he was in a 1000m trial against faster horses, what were you expecting?

“I told him to go clock his last 200m and 400m and he may change his mind. I was for one very happy with that run.

“To me, all these horses he was up against have already reached their mark. They’re good, but that’s it, they cannot get any better.

“Whereas for my bloke, we don’t know where he’s at. It’s an unknown and he has so much untapped potential, and that’s the beauty about him.

“Winning the Gold Cup was a big buzz, but winning this race today is even more important as I’m starting a new life here. It’s my new base now.”

Among the beaten brigade, joint-favourites Fastnet Dragon (Hugh Bowman) and Quechua (Corey Brown) stayed one-paced to the line to finish fourth and fifth respectively. The winning time was 2min 1.51secs for the 2000m on the Short Course.

With the QEII Cup purse boosted from $350,000 to $500,000 this year, the win has swollen the bank for the Laughing Gravy’s connections past the $540,000 mark.

Unfortunately, while the Laughing Gravy camp were living it up at the winner’s circle, the mood was more sombre in that of reigning Singapore Horse of the Year Stepitup.

After following in an ideal position on the rails in midfield, the Laurie Laxon-trained Hussonet six-year-old tailed off in the home straight to run a long last. Jockey John Powell even had to dismount after he realised the gelding was lame on the off fore.

“He was in a good spot behind the speed, but when I went for him, I knew he had broken down. Maybe Laurie should retire him,” said Powell who was at his first pairing with the multiple-Group 1 winner.