KEY POINTS:
Eyebrows were raised in the first week in July 2003 when Wayne Hillis walked Boulevardofdreams out on to the Hollywood Park track for her final gallop for the US$1 million American Oaks.
The first surprise for the locals was that the New Zealand filly was about to be galloped by her trainer. American trainers don't ride their own horses.
The second surprise was that Boulevardofdreams did not need to be led on to the track.
American horses spend up to 22 hours a day locked in their box and many of the 1200 horses at Hollywood Park came out each morning eyes bulging, wearing underchecks and desperate to expend energy.
At least half of them needed to be pulled up after galloping by outriders on ponies, employed essentially for that task.
Not only did Boulevardofdreams not require leading, she actually led the fractious invited Japanese filly Dance In The Mood on to Hollywood Park.
Hillis became something of a local amusement for a week, Boulevardofdreams flopping around like an old steeplechaser. Americans rarely get to see horses so settled.
Hillis is about to create the same impression in Singapore with another one of his team, Dezigna, New Zealand's invitee to the S$3 million ($2.7 million) Singapore Airlines International Cup on May 20.
The pair fly out to Singapore tonight, Hillis leaving his strapper at home meantime and intending to ride Dezigna himself.
"I ride him myself every morning at home, apart from the odd gallop, so it'll be business as usual."
Hillis and training partner and wife Vanessa knew Dezigna was on track for the Singapore Cup when the born-again 7-year-old overcame his dislike of rain-affected footing to come from the body of the field and push Floydeboy to a close finish in the $200,000 Champions Mile at Ellerslie last start.
You could have bottled the smile Hillis wore after Dezigna got through a solo between-races gallop at Tauranga on Wednesday.
Vinny Colgan, who will ride Dezigna in Singapore, did not have a ride at Tauranga and made a special trip to handle the horse in the gallop.
If you didn't know what horse you were looking at, or know the type Dezigna is, you would not have been impressed - but Hillis and Colgan saw all they needed to see.
"He's real lazy when he works on his own," said Colgan.
"And he was more than a bit confused by being out there on his own and out in the centre of the track where I took him because the inside was the worst part of the track.
"He was gawking around so much I had to switch my whip to the other hand to try and concentrate."
Dezigna went through two seasons like an average racehorse, but has reached up two levels this season.
He won in listed company at Te Rapa in December, won the group two Rich Hill Mile at Ellerslie on January 1 and at group one level has subsequently finished third to Gaze and Sir Slick in a leader-dominated Starcraft Stakes and second in the Champions Mile.
Hillis believes the horse is in the best shape of his career.
Colgan is hoping his appearance in Singapore will expand to something beyond just the Dezigna ride.
The Matamata-based jockey has an intense dislike of New Zealand winters and seeks to ride in Asia during that period whenever he can.
He spent nine months riding in Singapore in 2002-2003 and three months in Macau in 2005.
"I made some tentative approaches about a Singapore contract this year, but I understand they are fairly well off for jockeys at the moment."
