Valentino has company for work

Valentino has company for work

Hong Kong Mile (HK-G1) hopeful VALENTINO (Valanour [Ire]) worked about six furlongs on

the turf on Thursday in the company of Phoenix Reach (Ire) (Alhaarth) and Powerscourt

(GB) (Sadler's Wells), going the last

quarter in :23. However the five-year-old's trainer, Alain de Royer Dupre, is concerned that

his charge has not really

settled into his new surroundings and might not be ready for Sunday's race at

Sha Tin Racecourse.

"It's all a bit new for him, the travel and

it's very different here from home," he said. "He's not really been as relaxed as I would

have liked, so we'll have to see how he goes."

Valentino captured his past two starts, both Group 3s in France.

Aidan O'Brien's Mile hope, ANTONIUS PIUS (Danzig), continued his quiet

build up to Sunday with another easy canter on the all weather track. Despite

his long season and seven consecutive Group/Grade 1 races between May and October, the

sophomore colt looks well and assistant trainer Pat Keating is hopeful that the

bay can hold his form.

"Obviously he is a class horse and he has learned

plenty this year," jockey Jamie Spencer said. "I'm just hoping his class puts him in the finish."

Antonius Pius scored in last year's Railway S. (Ire-G2) and enters Sunday's

Hong Kong Mile off a troubled runner-up finish from the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1).

Japanese champion sprinter DURANDAL (Sunday Silence), back-to-back winner of

the Mile Championship (Jpn-G1), looked well on Thursday,

galloping strongly on the dirt track to come home in :22.6.

"I am happy with him," trainer Masahiro Sakaguchi said. "The interval between

Mile Championship and this race is less than a month so I told his rider not to

work him too hard in today's workout. That was very good."

TELEGNOSIS (Tony Bin), a half-length winner of the Mainichi Okan (Jpn-G2) in

October, worked in :22

for his final quarter on the dirt.

Hong Kong trainer David Oughton feels his Mile contender, FIGURES (Maroof),

will be up against it on Sunday. The five-year-old bay, formerly known as

Marcurous, won the Champions Mile (HK-G1) at Sha Tin in early May.

"He had a great year last year, winning five and finishing with that win in

the Champions Mile," Oughton said. "He is a very tough little Kiwi horse who really adapted

to Hong Kong. He never impresses in his work but he keeps pulling out extra in

his races. My concern, though, is whether he is really up to international

class. I'm just not sure. He certainly deserves to be there on what he has

achieved, but I think the Japanese horse and Grand Zulu

(Grand Lodge) are very good."