With Anticipation

American Hall-of-Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard does not ship a horse anywhere unless he expects it to win ¡V and he is about to ship his champion stayer With Anticipation halfway around the world to tackle the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup at Sha Tin on April 21.
At the top his game, With Anticipation has few peers. His victories in 2001 included wire-to-wire efforts in both the 1 1/2-mile Sword Dancer Handicap (Gr.1) at Saratoga and the 1 3/8-mile Man o'War Stakes (Gr.1) at Belmont Park.

The AP QE II Cup is run at 2000 metres, which appears to fit With Anticipation's talents perfectly. He will likely be on or near the lead quickly, and once he gets in front he can be very difficult to catch.

The seven-year-old gelded son of Relaunch is a Pennsylvania homebred representing George Strawbridge Jr.'s Augustin Stable. Strawbridge says his colour bearer is set and ready.

With Anticipation is one of those horses who displayed promise during early efforts at the races, but took a few years to mature. At ages two and three, he started only seven times, won just twice, and did not appear to be a stakes horse. But at age four, With Anticipation began to mature, placing in a pair of minor stakes at Philadelphia Park and The Meadowlands.

At five, With Anticipation was victorious in a pair of minor stakes, and also placed in the Gulfstream Park Handicap (Gr.1) and the Widener Handicap (Gr.3) at Gulfstream.
And at age six he reached his prime, giving the top turf competitors on North America's shores all they could handle.

With Anticipation is a well-bred sort. His sire (now deceased) has nearly 90 other stakes winners among his progeny. And With Anticipation's dam, Fran's Valentine, was a multiple Grade 1 winner during her own racing days. The produce of Fran's Valentine also includes With Anticipation's half-sister, With Fascination, who was a Group 3 winner in France.
With Anticipation originally was nominated for the Hong Kong International Races programme in December. But he ran poorly in the Breeders' Cup Turf (Gr.1) in late October and the Japan Cup (Gr.1) in late November, and Sheppard and Strawbridge decided he needed time off.

Following a four-month break, With Anticipation went to the post in an unsuitable five-furlong allowance sprint at South Florida's Gulfstream Park on March 27.
After coasting along in fifth position through most of the race, With Anticipation caught fire, making up four lengths on the leader inside the final furlong to finish second by three-quarters of a length.

Sheppard had wanted his horse to get a solid workout under race conditions, and that's exactly what happened. The race was clocked in the very fast time of 57.32 seconds on a course rated firm - similar to the surface With Anticipation should encounter at Sha Tin.

The career record of With Anticipation now includes 37 starts for 12 wins, seven seconds and seven thirds, and earnings of US $1,142,704.