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Flintshire 'fresher' in Hong Kong than at Santa Anita
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| Vase contender Flintshire has gained weight since the Breeders' Cup
(Hong Kong Jockey Club Photo) |
Flintshire, runner-up in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and Breeders' Cup
Turf, on Monday continued his preparations for Sunday's Group 1 Hong Kong Vase.
The Andre Fabre trainee jogged one lap on Sha Tin's all-weather track with
regular exercise rider Annelie Ackerman up."It is his second long-haul flight after California for the Breeders' Cup
Turf last month," said Richard Lambert, his traveling head lad. "I think he has
traveled even better this time, as he looks fresher than when he arrived at
Santa Anita.
"The quarantine is easier here because the horses can go out soon after their
arrival. There's more space for them to relax and the track is not surrounded by
other horses going in all directions. He's weighing 489 kilograms -- that is two
kilos more than after his second place in the Breeders' Cup.
"I don't know whether he will go on the turf course this week. It is up to
Mr. Fabre. The horse has worked last Tuesday in France and rather needs to
recuperate from the trip than getting fitter.
"He hasn't had a hard season with only five races under his belt. His only
real defeat came in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on ground that was way too
heavy for him. He will be more suited here on a good track. He also likes it
right-handed.
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"At Santa Anita, on a tight left-handed course, (jockey) Maxime Guyon had to
use him as early as the last bend to avoid being outpaced and Flintshire took
some time to find his balance. He finished well on an idling horse though. Once
again, he should be much better off here, with more space and time to reach his
momentum."
The Juddmonte Farms runner will be joined by another homebred, Snow Sky, who
is trained by Sir Michael Stoute.
"We are familiarizing him with Sha Tin and he just lobbed over four furlongs
today," groom Sarah Denniff said of the third-place finisher in the St Leger.
"Generally we are very happy with him. His appetite has been good and he only
lost six pounds coming to Hong Kong -- he could lose that going racing back
home! Being here is a good learning curve for him as he is still a bit of a
baby."
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| Red Cadeaux, the 2012 winner, will be making his fourth appearance in the Vase
(Hong Kong Jockey Club Photo) |
Red Cadeaux, a familiar sight at Sha Tin these days, looked in great heart as
he put in a routine canter on the all-weather track, watched by his global
traveling companion Robin Trevor-Jones, who confirmed his charge's well-being."He's been here for a couple of weeks now, and he's happy enough. He seems in
good nick," Trevor-Jones said of the 2012 Vase hero.
Trainer John Moore commented on the prospects of locally-based Dominant
scoring a repeat win in the Vase.
"There's a question mark against him on his current form, but it was the same
scenario last year and he came out and won," Moore said. "The trip suits, we'll
ride him cold and he was just too close in the run the other day behind Blazing
Speed (in the November 23 Jockey Club Cup at Sha Tin)."
Jockey Zac Purton, who engineered the upset aboard Dominant in 2013, will
ride outsider Wayfoong Express this time in the Vase.
"He might be out of his depth, but he's a last start winner and I did manage
to win the race last year on Dominant who was written off by many, so you never
know," Purton offered.
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Purton has a solid chance in the Hong Kong Sprint with Aerovelocity.
"He's a good horse. It's not as if he's snuck up on us -- he has won six of
his past eight starts," the jockey noted. "Obviously we can just forget his last
run (a badly hampered last in the November 23 Jockey Club Sprint). With a clear
run he could have won or at least run second. He'll be better for that again and
Paul (O'Sullivan) trains his horses to improve through a prep. He's 100 percent
honest and I don't think he's far off having what it takes to win a race like
this."
Moore's duo in the Sprint are Flagship Shine and Sterling City, the
respective third and 12th in that local prep.
"He (Flagship Shine) ran well the other day behind Peniaphobia and Nash (Rawiller),
who rides him all the time, said he's improved since that run," the trainer
commented. "If he draws a gate he could pick up some money. He's got good gate
speed and can go forward and perhaps he might do even better than picking up
some money, like Inspiration did for us at 66-1 (in the 2008 Hong Kong Sprint)."
Sterling City is expected to do better in the main event.
"He's primed and ready to go," Moore said. "He wasn't far away last year (in
fifth) and he just needs some luck to be in the finish."
Trainer Robert Heathcote is pleased with multiple Australian Group 1-winning
sprinter Buffering, who cantered on the all-weather track.
"The horse looks well and he seems happy to me," Heathcote said. "He's really
settled in now and his blood picture's good. He just stretched his legs this
morning but he'll have a more serious gallop tomorrow morning. And later in the
week we'll give him a look at the parade ring. Every little thing can help."
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| Sprint hope Snow Dragon has the huge shoes of Lord Kanaloa to fill
(Hong Kong Jockey Club Photo) |
Japan has won the past two runnings of the Sprint with the now-retired Lord
Kanaloa, and now sends a trio hoping to follow in his path -- Snow Dragon and
Straight Girl, the respective top two from the Sprinters at Niigata, as well as
Centaur winner Little Gerda.Snow Dragon had a hack canter on the all-weather track.
"He hesitated to get in the box before the flight, but as he saw his travel
mate Meiner Lacrima (Hong Kong Cup) go into the box, he seemed to understand and
followed him smoothly," work rider Manabu Kumada commented. "In the quarantine
stable he was relaxed and eats up well. We will discuss the work schedule with
the trainer later."
Straight Girl jogged and then cantered on the all-weather.
"She lost some weight due to the transport, but she has a good appetite and
will regain the weight," work rider Hiroshi Tanaka said. "She is relaxed and
getting familiarized with her new surroundings. Tomorrow she will work on turf
to get familiar with the surface for Thursday's gallop."
Little Gerda had an easy workout on the all-weather.
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"Her appetite was a little less than normal, but it has not detracted from
her condition. She is very settled," work rider Takeshi Noda said.
Meiner Lacrima is one of two Japanese representatives in the Hong Kong Cup,
along with Archimedes.
Meiner Lacrima had a hack canter on the all-weather track.
"This is his second visit to Hong Kong and we had a travel mate Snow Dragon
from Tokyo, so he was relaxed at the export stable and during the flight," work
rider Hirata Tomoharu commented. "He is physically settled at the moment and is
fit. We will give him a fast gallop on Wednesday."
Archimedes put in a slow canter on the all-weather track.
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| Archimedes, off since finishing second to Just a Way at Nakayama, returns from a nine-month layoff in the Cup
(Hong Kong Jockey Club Photo) |
"I was worried about the traveling, because he sometimes has temperament
issues," assistant trainer Toshiya Kubo said. "But he travelled with other
stablemates and he has settled down. This is his first race up since March but
we have given him some tough workouts recently and cantered him even in the
morning of the departure day. He is a very talented horse and hopefully we can
keep the good condition." Australia's Cup contender, Criterion, turned in easy exercise on the
all-weather track.
"He was a bit stressed when he arrived here but I'm happy with him now," new
trainer David Hayes said. "His coat's healthy, he's well hydrated and he looks
good. Obviously he's new to me but we know the horse and he's a very good mover,
pretty classy. I won't work him too hard this week. I'll trust him as you should
do with a good horse. He had two solid runs in the space of seven days, in the
Cox Plate and the Mackinnon Stakes so he came here fit.
"I'm quietly confident he'll acquit himself well. He's a Derby winner, going
right handed at home (in the Australian Derby at Randwick), and his recent
form's probably better than it looks. He didn't have much luck in the Cox Plate
and was only a length and a half off them and the really firm track was against
him in the Mackinnon at Flemington."
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English invader Farraaj cantered on the all-weather track. Joan Banks,
trainer Roger Varian's traveling head lass, has been with Farraaj every step of
the way since his departure in mid-September to Australia where he
finished third in the Mackinnon at Flemington.
"He's in good form and has settled in well here," Banks said. "He ran well in
Australia, and with luck might have won that day. He'll do a bit of work on the
turf tomorrow."
Hong Kong's home team for the Cup includes the territory's two most recent
Horses of the Year -- current honoree Designs on Rome and his predecessor,
Military Attack.
Moore looks forward to a top effort from Designs on Rome.
"He'll be peaking at the right time for Sunday. Look at his chart in the form
guide -- he's on an upward spiral," the trainer said. "He'll need to step up
again from around the 119 rating last time (when fifth in his prep in the Jockey
Club Cup) to 122 or 123 and I think he can. Joao (Moreira) knows how to ride him
now. He knows when and where to stoke him up. The draw's not that important as
he'll settle back in any case."
Purton will be back aboard Military Attack, formerly trained by Moore but now
in the care of Caspar Fownes.
"He's going very well," the jockey said. "Caspar was able to win with him
first-up and that didn't flatten him as he then ran so well again second-up
behind Blazing Speed (in the Jockey Club Cup). So he's put two great runs
together and we know the 2,000 meters here is perfect for him. Like everybody
else, just hoping he can draw a gate."
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