Hong Kong Sprint winner Aerovelocity completed his final piece of work this morning and has now finished his preparation ahead of Sunday’s (29 March) G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen (1200m) at Chukyo racecourse.
But his trainer Paul O’Sullivan is concerned that the possibility of rain and the dampened track may affect his runner’s chances in this 1200m speed contest.
The Pins gelding, under the supervision of O’Sullivan and owner Daniel Yeung, who arrived in Nagoya yesterday, walked onto the course at about 6.15am. Ridden by regular work rider, he cantered for a circuit on the dirt track. O’Sullivan said his stable ace is ready for the test tomorrow.
“He settled in pretty well and fed well all the way through. He looks bright and fit and I’m very happy,” O’Sullivan said.
There’s an uncertainty about the weather, though, as local observatory has forecast a good chance of rain between tomorrow morning and afternoon in the Nagoya area — most likely a drizzle amounting to only a few millimetres.
The six-year-old bay has not faced a yielding or wetter track in any of his 15 starts in Hong Kong, as well as in his only run in New Zealand. Having drawn gate 4, O’Sullivan admitted rain will be his biggest concern.
“I walked the track yesterday [Friday] morning. The grass is a bit worn on the inside. If it rains tomorrow, that inside part of the track will become messy and very difficult,” he said.
“We’ve got the advantage of having 10 races to look at first, to see what the pattern is. If it rains on the day, the draw will probably be a disadvantage rather than an advantage. Whatever happens, it happens, and I’m not worried about that.”
Aerovelocity will bid to become the first overseas runner to win the Takamatsunomiya Kinen. He will face 17 opponents, including defending champion Copano Richard, who won this race on a soft track last year; Straight Girl, third respectively in this race and the Hong Kong Sprint last year; and Daiwa Maggiore, who was partnered by Mirco Demuro when winning the G3 Hankyu Hai (1400m), under soft conditions, at Hanshin on 1 March.
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