MORLUC

Trainer Randy Morse keeps catching people by surprise. Yesterday morning, he sent Morluc on a canter around Sha Tin¡¦s turf course, instead of the all-weather track as originally planned.

"We came to Hong Kong to run on the grass, not on the dirt," was Morse's explanation.

"I didn't arrive here until Monday evening, and wanted to see how Morluc was adapting to the bar shoes we have put on him. He¡¦s doing fine."

This morning Morluc was unexpectedly taken for a walk (in a counter-clockwise direction) down the all-weather surface. Morse advises that his horse will breeze three furlongs over the Sha Tin turf on Thursday morning, in a final preparation for this coming Sunday HK$8 million Hong Kong Sprint.

NUCLEAR DEBATE

Nuclear Debate breezed three furlongs over the Sha Tin turf course this morning, but trainer Darrell Vienna wasn't there to witness the move. Vienna isn't expected to fly to Hong Kong from his Southern California base until Friday but his assistant trainer, Victor Tovar, was happy with the six-year-old¡¦s 600m workout.

Tovar said of Nuclear Debate, who has only had one run since he moved to the States from France this season: "Nuclear Debate was not very well ridden at Hollywood. His jockey decided to turn into the straight five wide and then quickly made his move but came up empty approaching the finish."

THE TRADER

The Trader will be a first runner in Hong Kong for Michael Blanshard. The Lambourn-trained three-year-old appeared on the all-weather track this morning after a quiet day yesterday, ridden by ex-jockey, Brian Rouse.

Rouse said: "Michael arrives in Hong Kong tonight and he will be doing some work, probably on Friday."