Barrier
Draw
Date:
13 December, 2001 (Thursday)
Time: 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Venue: Sha Tin Clubhouse
Connections
of top runners unfazed by wide draws
This morning's
barrier draw for Sunday's International races was not kind, at
face value, to three of the major players in the feature races
but connections remained unperturbed
despite chance dealing them the less than coveted outside gate.
American
sprinter Morluc, runner-up last year, drew 14 in the International
Sprint and the same gate fate befell the well fancied Japanese
Vase contender Stay Gold and the German warhorse Silvano in the
Hong Kong Cup.
'We'll live
with it,' mused Morluc's trainer Randy Morse and that summed up
the reaction from most owners, trainers and jockeys whose horses
fared badly at the draw. After all they have no choice.
Morse can
comfort himself with the knowledge that 13 winners have come from
the outside four gates (11 through to 14 inclusive) in the 31
races run over the International
Sprint course in the past five seasons at Sha Tin.
Last year's
Sprint winner Falvelon drew four which pleased trainer Dan Bougoure.
'Happy with that. He won the race from five last year,' Bougoure
said.
Alongside
the defending champion in gate five is the English mare Nice One
Clare. And that's nice indeed according to Johnny Murtagh who
will ride the five-year-old. 'Drawn next to the favourite. That
suits me,' Murtagh said.
Japanese
Sprint contender Mejiro Darling drew 10 which pleased his trainer
Yokichi Okubo. 'It's my luckiest draw.' Okubo said, 'my first
stakes winner came from ten and my
first graded stakes winner also drew that barrier.'
His compatriot
Yasutoshi Ikee, representing his father who trains Stay Gold,
said he was
not concerned that the seven-year-old had drawn 14 in the Vase.
'It suits him to be out
there with some room,' he said.
While very
few 2400 metres races are run on the A course at Sha Tin it should
be noted
that four winners have come from the inside four gates in the
tally of just six races run over the course in the past five seasons.
Oriental Express, White Heart, Rainbow And Gold and Survey General
occupy those four slots in Sunday's race.
Daliapour
drew eight in the Vase which was 'fine' according to Johnny Murtagh.
Zindabad jumps from six which pleases trainer Mark Johnston. Before
the draw, Johnston said he hoped to draw between five and nine.
His wish was granted. 'He's a slow starter and I didn't want him
cluttered up drawing one or two,' Johnston said.
The colt
Foundation Spirit drew 10 in the Vase. 'That's good,' declared
trainer Francois
Doumen, 'He's a big actioned horse and I didn't want him drawn
inside.'
Doumen's
legendary, durable and highly talented Jim And Tonic drew five
in the Hong Kong Cup. 'Oh, that's tight enough for him. But he's
drawn everywhere in his runs here in
Hong Kong and always performed well, Doumen said.
The 2000
metres Cup may well be the race where the draw is most significant.
There is only a short run to the first turn and in the 16 races
run over the course in the past five seasons nine winners have
come from the inside four gates. Barrier one has produced five
winners.
Silvano drew
14 in the Vase but jockey Andreas Suborics was not bothered. 'It
makes no difference. The horse won the QE 11 Cup here from 13,
Suborics said.
French hope
Terre A Terre is alongside Silvano in 13. 'It may be his lucky
number,' owner Henri Devin observed, 'he won from that draw in
Paris.'
Godolphin's
China Visit and the David Hayes trained Super Molly were best
served in the
Mile draw with barriers one and two respectively and thus Frankie
Dettori (riding the former) and Damien Oliver (for Hayes) - who
quinealled the jockey's challenge midweek - will be eyeballing
each other right from the off.
Statistics
suggest that the draw is not vital from the Mile start. In the
52 races run over the course in the past five seasons, barriers
two and four have been most successful with seven wins apiece.
However, 11 winners in the same time have come from barriers 13
and 14.
Race
Card
