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Eishin Preston conquers the world in Hong Kong again
Once again Japanese horses conquered Hong
Kong as Eishin Preston defeated his compatriot, Agnes Digital, in
a rousing climax to the HK$14 million Audemars Piguet QEII Cup,
the second leg of the World Series Racing Championship.
The winner
of the Hong Kong Mile at last December's Hong Kong International
Races and a horse that had impressed this week with his trackwork,
Eishin Preston mastered Agnes Digital by half a length. The winner
travelled well towards the rear early on and turned for home widest
of all, but he soon came with a storming run to lead passing the
200 metres pole and had to pull out all the stops to hold the 2001
Hong Kong Cup hero. It was Eishin Preston's first attempt over the
2000-metre trip and the win made him the first recipient of a bonus
worth HK$1 million for adding today's Group 1 to his HKIR success.
He started the 7-2 second favourite.
Idol cut out
the early running with Helene Vitality, Grandera and Okawango in
close attendance. Once into the stretch, Frankie Dettori kicked
Grandera, the 11/10 favourite, into the lead but had no response
to the Japanese challenge or that of the late finishing Indigenous
from Hong Kong and Australia's Universal Prince who came out of
the chasing pack to snatch third and fourth respectively.
Okawango from
France raced in third for much of the trip but found nothing under
pressure, while Lethals Lady, also from France, found trouble in
running at the top of the stretch.
Winning jockey
Yuichi Fukunaga said: "The early pace was slow but it picked
up in the second half. I thought I would win coming into the straight
but in the closing stages I was worried that Agnes Digital might
pass me. I think this horse likes Hong Kong!"
"My horse
has been in great condition," trainer Shuji Kitahashi said,
adding: "and I would like to thank my staff for all their help.
Eishin Preston's owner Toyomitsu Hirai would like to compete in
more international events and I hope we will be back here in December
for the Hong Kong Cup."
Agnes Digital
ran a gallant race in defeat, having had to endure a tough trip
to Dubai in March. His trainer Toshiaki Shirai said: "He tried
very hard to win the race but I think after the trip to Dubai he
was only at about 90% of his very best today. He will be back but
we will give him a break for a while now."
Making his
sixth consecutive appearance in the race, Indigenous finished best
of the home defence under jockey Felix Coetzee, who said: "What
a horse. I followed the winner and while he gave me everything the
Japanese had too much pace." Indigenous' excellent run earned
his connections HK$1.5 million.
Justin Sheehan,
rider of last year's AJC Australian Derby winner, Universal Prince,
said: "I came there to win but at 200 metres he hit a brick
wall. I feel frustrated for the horse but, having said that, he
has just run a blinding race."
Frankie Dettori
said of Grandera: "He was a bit fresh early on and had every
chance off the home turn. Maybe he is just a race short of his best."
As for the this year's Hong Kong
Derby winner, Olympic Express, jockey Weichong Marwing said: "He
ran well but this was a big step-up in class and he was a bit one-paced
in the finish.
Audemars Piguet QEII Cup generates excellent response
The first-time inclusion of the Group
1 Audemars
Piguet QEII Cup into the World Series Racing Championship, coupled
with a 40% increase in prize-money to HK$14 million, has generated
an excellent response from trainers and owners across the globe.
The runners for the 2000-metre showpiece to be staged at Sha Tin
on April 21 are of unprecedented strength. Eight of the fourteen-strong
field are Group 1 winners and two others have been placed at the
highest level. Four contenders are already winners of international
races in Hong Kong and leading performers from seven countries have
been invited.
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World Stars. World Class. World Series - the promotional
posters for this Sunday's Audemars Piguet QEII Cup at Sha
Tin have got it just right.
Consider the facts: Five
of the fourteen contenders are international Group 1 winners
(Agnes Digital, Helene Vitality, Eishin Preston, Universal
Prince and Okawango) while a further four have already
placed at that level (Grandera, Helene Vitality, Lethals
Lady and Indigenous).
Furthermore, every single runner in the HK$14 million second
leg of the World Series has won or been placed at international
and Hong Kong Group 1 races.
Where else will you witness the clash of three individual
Derby winners not to mention the same number of horses that
were placed in French, New Zealand and Hong Kong Derbies?
For the record, the Hong Kong Derby champions Olympic
Express will tackle the former New Zealand Derby (Helene
Vitality) and AJC Australian Derby heroes (Universal
Prince).
Grandera, Idol and Helene Vitality, meanwhile, finished
third in the Prix du Jockey Club, NZ Derby and HK Derby respectively.
Precision went one better this year behind Olympic
Express.
Despite the all-round strength in depth, people are likely
to gravitate towards the Japanese pair of Agnes Digital
and Eishin Preston in search of the winner. You couldn't
blame anyone for that either. Both are Hong Kong International
Races winners after all. No horse has yet picked up the HK$1
million bonus for adding the APQEII Cup to success at the
HKIR - will Sunday's big race
mark an international racing first?
Or will Hong Kong keep the Cup at home and gain maximum points
on a World Series leader board for the very first time?
And which horse is likeliest to do it?
Questions, questions, questions. Let's just savour the occasion.
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