HKIR News: Trackwork notes - final workout for the japanese contingent

15 December 2001

Jockey Yutaka Yoshida, who rode on the grass track at Sha Tin for the first time Saturday morning, commented after the light piece of work on Mejiro Darling, with whom he will partner in the Hong Kong Sprint on Sunday, "I felt the track condition is light, though it is not as light as Niigata Racecourse where Mejiro Darling broke the Japanese record of 1,000m, and my horse handled it very well."

Yokichi Okubo who trains Mejiro Darling said, "My horse is very fast. If she can cover 1,000m in less than 56.0 seconds, I think nobody can beat her."

Agnes Digital's trainer Toshiaki Shirai said, "I work Agnes Digital a little more than usual since we have got here. At home, we must take a van to the racecourse on the raceday, but we don't need any transportation on Sunday. It means more work is needed, and that I have done so. His weight on Sunday will be the same as his last time out when he won the Emperor's Cup."

Yasuo Ikee said this about his Stay Gold after the breeze on Saturday, "The final preparation for his very last race is now over, which means my job is over as far as Stay Gold is concerned. It has been a very enjoyable six years with Stay Gold, and I would really like to see a happy ending."