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INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
DECEMBER 12, 2014
Hong Kong Cup: Designs on Rome peaking at right time
by Kellie Reilly
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| Designs on Rome (far side) gets up to defeat Military Attack in the QE II Cup: a foreshadowing of the HK Cup?
(Hong Kong Jockey Club) |
The centerpiece of Sunday's Hong Kong International Races, the about 1
1/4-mile Hong Kong Cup, has attracted a superb cast: the grand old Frenchman
Cirrus des Aigles; former two-time champ California Memory; Blazing Speed,
winner of two-thirds of Hong Kong's Triple Crown; Japan's up-and-comer
Archimedes; reigning Australian Derby hero Criterion; and I haven't even gotten
to the two who could ultimately fight out the finish between them, reigning Hong
Kong Horse of the Year Designs on Rome and his immediate predecessor, Military
Attack.
Designs on Rome has a profile reminiscent of 2013 Hong Kong Cup winner Akeed
Mofeed, only better. Akeed Mofeed was Group 2-placed as a juvenile in Ireland,
and victorious in the Hong Kong Derby over this course and distance, before
doubling up in the Cup. He had been unplaced, however, in the Classic Cup and
the Queen Elizabeth II Cup that spring. Designs on Rome, on the other hand, won
both of those and the Derby too, suggesting that he's up to this task as well.
Group 1-placed as a juvenile in Ireland, Designs on Rome turned in
outstanding efforts in all three legs of Hong Kong's series for four-year-olds.
A strong-closing second to stablemate Able Friend (the Hong Kong Mile favorite)
in the January 19 Classic Mile, Designs on Rome shaped up very much as the type
to turn the tables over added ground, and so he did. The John Moore charge made
use of his stamina to best Able Friend in the February 16 Classic Cup at about 1
1/8 miles, under a tactically brilliant ride by Tommy Berry, and he repeated the
feat in the March 16 Hong Kong Derby.
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Designs on Rome took on older international Group 1 competition next time in
the April 27 Queen Elizabeth II Cup. Not only did he prove himself on the bigger
stage, but he collared defending champion and then-reigning Horse of the Year
Military Attack in a driving finish. They pulled 2 1/4 lengths clear of
Vercingetorix, the Dubai Duty Free runner-up, and finishing further back in
fourth after a tough trip was Epiphaneia, the eventual Japan Cup romper.
Although only a mildly rallying fifth in the May 25 Champions & Chater Cup,
Designs on Rome had done enough to be hailed as Hong Kong's Horse of the Year
for the 2013-14 season that ended in early July. The son of Holy Roman Emperor
has yet to win in three starts in the new season beginning this fall, but Moore
is a master at bringing his horses to peak for the big occasion.
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| Designs on Rome and stablemate Able Friend (left, the HK Mile favorite) dominated an unusually strong series for four-year-olds
(Hong Kong Jockey Club) |
Designs on Rome resumed with a fast-finishing third under top weight of 133
pounds in the October 5 Celebration Cup at about seven furlongs (to HK Mile
contender Gold-Fun). Teaming up for the first time with top rider Joao Moreira
in the October 26 Oriental Watch Sha Tin Trophy, he was left with too much to do
over the metric mile and wound up eighth. But the "Magic Man" learned something
about his new partner that day, and got him going sooner in the local prep, the
November 23 Jockey Club Cup, where he rallied smartly for fifth. Designs on Rome
was beaten all of three-quarters of a length. With the projected improvement in
the interim, he's bound to deliver a top performance in the HK Cup.Military Attack has historically been strongest in late winter and spring, as
evidenced by his smashing wins in the 2013 Queen Elizabeth II Cup and Singapore
Airlines International Cup as well as the past two runnings of the Hong Kong
Gold Cup. The International Races used to come a bit sooner than ideal for him,
which could partially explain his fifth in the 2012 HK Cup and barnstorming
fourth off a tepid pace last year.
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But this edition of the HK Cup could be an entirely different ball game, for
the six-year-old is already in sharper form than usual at this time of year.
Transferred from Moore to Caspar Fownes ahead of the 2014-15 season, the
Oratorio gelding got up on the line to nip Gold-Fun in his reappearance in the
aforementioned Sha Tin Trophy. He then suffered a similar mugging himself at the
hands of Blazing Speed in the Jockey Club Cup, in a blanket finish to the prep.
Military Attack likely has more up his sleeve in the third start of his
campaign, and he reunites with Hong Kong champion jockey Zac Purton.
While Designs on Rome and Military Attack represent the best chances of
giving Hong Kong its fourth straight win in the Cup, and ninth overall (tops in
the recordbook), the Tony Cruz duo of Blazing Speed and California Memory are
not to be overlooked.
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| Two-time HK Cup hero California Memory (gray) was an encouraging fourth to current stable star Blazing Speed (far right) in the local prep
(Hong Kong Jockey Club) |
Blazing Speed, the winner of the local prep, is effective over a remarkable
range of distances and capable of upsetting any of the big guns on his day. When
denying Dan Excel in the January 19 Stewards' Cup at a metric mile, he stunned
the likes of Military Attack, Gold-Fun and Glorious Days. Blazing Speed was only
fourth to Military Attack in the next leg of the Hong Kong Triple Crown (for
older horses), the February 23 Gold Cup. After losses in Dubai and back at home,
the son of Dylan Thomas surprised the third leg, the about 1 1/2-mile Champions
& Chater Cup. Capitalizing on a great trip courtesy of regular rider Neil Callan,
he left Designs on Rome, California Memory and HK Vase hero Dominant well back.
While not the best on paper, Blazing Speed is just the sort to strike at a big
price.
California Memory deserves respect as the only two-time winner in the 27-year
history of the HK Cup. The brilliant closer earned those titles in 2011-12, and
lost a three-peat chance because of injury. Now eight years old, the
Kentucky-bred by Highest Honor has been rounding into form, and showed that he
still has ability with a close fourth in the prep.
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It's amazing to have a fellow eight-year-old warhorse, Cirrus des Aigles,
back again in hopes of finally winning at Sha Tin. Winless from four tries here,
the rags-to-riches gelding had excuses in his first three losses. He made his
Sha Tin debut as a sophomore in the 2009 Vase, finishing an honorable fifth in a
race that has never been won by a three-year-old male. Seventh in the 2010 HK
Cup from a wide draw, he was fifth behind California Memory in 2011, when he
would have been better served by racing up on the pace. "Cirrus" was scratched
with an injury in 2012. Last year, he finished third, despite having the perfect
set-up, and every chance.
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| Can Cirrus des Aigles finally display his world-class form at Sha Tin?
(Hong Kong Jockey Club) |
Cirrus boasts world-class form, both over his career and through the first
half of this season. After playing second fiddle to Japan's Gentildonna in the
Dubai Sheema Classic on World Cup night, he came back to beat the likes of Treve,
Anodin and Flintshire in the April 27 Prix Ganay, May 25 Prix d'Ispahan and June
7 Coronation Cup, respectively. Cirrus was injured in the concluding stages of
the Coronation Cup and pulled up abruptly.
Trainer Corine Barande-Barbe nursed him back to health again, and he returned
with a scrappy decision in the October 4 Prix Dollar, only to be demoted to
fifth for interference, in a tough call. Cirrus wheeled back two weeks later for
the October 18 Champion Stakes at Ascot, but he failed to pick up as expected
and trudged home fifth. That was well below his course record-setting
performance in the 2011 Champion, or his battling seconds to Frankel (2012) and
Farhh (2013) in the ensuing editions.
Barande-Barbe believes that the Champion came too soon following his
comeback, and it's certainly true that he's entitled to do himself justice
fresh. At the same time, he's yet to translate his best form to the Sha Tin
circuit.
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Japanese shipper Archimedes has dark horse appeal. On the upswing throughout
an unbeaten 2013, the son of Admire Moon earned his first stakes win in last
December's Grade 3 Asahi Challenge Cup. He continued his progress with a
runner-up effort to Just a Way in the March 2 Nakayama Kinen, in which Tokei
Halo (last year's HK Cup runner-up) was sixth. Archimedes deserves extra credit
for performing best of those who raced farther off the pace.
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| Archimedes could use the HK Cup as his lever and fulcrum to move the world
(Hong Kong Jockey Club) |
Trainer Hideaki Fujiwara declined his invitation to come to Sha Tin for the
QE II Cup, opting to give Archimedes a break. Sheikh Mohammed's homebred
accordingly enters this first international foray off a nine-month holiday.
Given his progressive profile, and his admirable 13-6-2-2 record, Archimedes
could be on the verge of a "Eureka" moment.
Australian-trained Criterion was at his best earlier this year, dominating
the March 29 Rosehill Guineas and outstaying his pedigree to annex the April 12
Australian Derby at Randwick. Both came on rain-softened ground in his own
division, though, and he's found it more difficult against open Group 1 company
on better going of late. His best recent effort was a near-miss in the October
11 Caulfield Stakes, in which that solid international yardstick Side Glance was
third.
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Criterion underwent an unexpected trainer switch last month to David Hayes,
who hasn't had a great deal of time to get acquainted with the colt in the
lead-up to this searching test of class. And as if that were not enough,
Criterion reportedly had an allergic reaction to "tick wash" just before he was
to ship. As it was originally feared to be colic, he nearly missed his flight to
Hong Kong. Officials passed him fit to go at virtually the last second.
While the preparation has hardly gone according to script, Criterion has
looked in fine fettle in the work videos, and I wouldn't be shocked if he
exceeds expectations. Hugh Bowman, who was aboard for his Group 1 double, rides
for the first time since the Caulfield.
Additional thoughts on the Cup will be posted on the
TwinSpires.com blog
Saturday.
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