Flintshire, Cirrus des Aigles among foreign invaders for Hong Kong races

Flintshire, Cirrus des Aigles among foreign invaders for

Hong Kong races

Flintshire, Cirrus des Aigles, Buffering and Snow Dragon are among the Group

1 stars from seven nations and jurisdictions heading to Sha Tin on December 14

to compete with a stellar line-up of Hong Kong's finest at the Hong Kong

International Races (HKIR).

A total of25 overseas raiders and 22 international Grrade/Group 1 winners

were among the 51 selected horses for the Turf World Championships announced

Wednesday. The HKIR is comprised of the HK$25 million Hong Kong Cup, the HK$23

million Hong Kong Mile, the HK$18.5 million Hong Kong Sprint and the HK$16.5

million Hong Kong Vase.

Flintshire brings outstanding form to the 2400-meter Hong Kong Vase. Trainer

Andre Fabre has not ducked a test with the four-year-old this year. The 2013

Grand Prix de Paris winner heads to Sha Tin after running second in two of the

world's great mile and a half events this autumn, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe

in France and the Breeders' Cup Turf in the U.S.

He is set to face the past two Hong Kong Vase winners, Dominant (2013) and

Red Cadeaux (2012), as well another to have made the frame at Santa Anita

recently, the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf third Just the Judge, winner of

the E.P. Taylor in October and the Irish One Thousand Guineas in 2013.

Cirrus des Aigles is always a headline draw. The French superstar has been in

great form this year, winning three Group 1 races to take his top-flight tally

to six. The veteran of many a famous skirmish will be having his fifth start at

the HKIR when he lines up for the Hong Kong Cup, the day's feature event and the

second richest 2000-meter turf contest in the world. Also selected for that race

is the southern hemisphere star Criterion, winner of the Australian Derby this

year.

The world's richest turf mile race, the Hong Kong Mile, has in its line-up

Japan's top-class milers Grand Prix Boss and Fiero, as well as Britain's

Woodbine Mile victor and Breeders' Cup Mile third Trade Storm.

An exciting cast for the Hong Kong Sprint, the world's most lucrative all-age

1200-meter contest, features one of Australia's toughest speedsters, Buffering,

alongside European luminaries Gordon Lord Byron and Sole Power. Japan, buoyed by

the back-to-back wins of the great and now retired Lord Kanaloa, looks to the

Sprinters Stakes one-two of Snow Dragon and Straight Girl, and the speedy Group

2 winner Little Gerda.

Japan's representation, with 10 horses in total, will be the largest

contingent from that country ever to compete at Hong Kong racing's flagship

event.

The home team features the best Hong Kong has to offer including Horse of the

Year Designs on Rome, alongside Blazing Speed, Military Attack and California

Memory in the Cup; crack milers Able Friend, Ambitious Dragon, Gold-Fun and

Glorious Days; elite sprinters Lucky Nine and Sterling City; and defending

champion Dominant in the Vase.

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