Gallant defeats for Hong Kong��s stars in Dubai

29/03/2015

There was to be no repeat of last year’s victorious Dubai World Cup meeting heroics at Meydan on Saturday 28 March. Yet despite defeat, Hong Kong’s speed specialists still gave their fans and connections plenty to cheer, and Designs On Rome claimed an honest fourth in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic (2410m).

Peniaphobia and Super Jockey both took second place in the night’s two Group 1 speed tests. The former fared best of the Hong Kong trio in the evening’s G1 curtain-raiser, the Al Quoz Sprint (1000m) which Amber Sky had won so brilliantly 12 months earlier. Tony Cruz’s charge raced to a gallant second, with the trail-blazing Amber Sky fourth and Bundle Of Joy fifth.

One race later – in the Dubai Golden Shaheen (1200m, dirt) – it was Super Jockey that set Hong Kong pulses racing. Tony Millard’s charge battled hard and late to grind away at the US-trained victor Secret Circle. The brave six-year-old finished second by a diminishing head with last year’s runner-up Rich Tapestry a game third. Lucky Nine faded to pass the post 11th.

In the Al Quoz Sprint it was the defending champion Amber Sky that burst fastest from the gate to lead the field under Ryan Moore. Peniaphobia tracked handily under Douglas Whyte. Joao Moreira was another sitting just off the pace as Bundle Of Joy broke smartly from an unfavourable low draw and tracked down the far side of the pack.

Peniaphobia looked momentarily like the winner as he passed Amber Sky with a little over a furlong to race, but flying home fast on his outer was the deep-closing Sole Power, who prevailed for Ireland by half a length under Richard Hughes in a time of 57.24s.

“Peniaphobia jumped beautifully and I tracked the speed horses, but they were no more use to me at the 300m,” said Whyte. “I picked them up and he kicked, and I thought I was home but the winner obviously got on the back of my tail and we know how good the winner is when he’s on song – he proved that tonight.

“I couldn’t fault my run, he went brave in defeat,” continued the South African. “You’ve got to give him all due respect, he’s only a four-year-old and it’s his first time abroad. His whole attitude was great – he held himself together like a true professional the whole way. If anything he was better tonight than in Hong Kong, mentally and physically. He went down to the start he stood in the gates; he was a thorough gentleman and a true professional. He’s just going to improve from here on in – I think he’s got a very bright future.”

Asked if Royal Ascot would be a viable option for the British import, successful in the Weatherbys Super Sprint at Newbury as a juvenile, Whyte said: “I think that it would suit him down to the ground and I think he’d be an ideal traveller the way he turned up tonight.”

Moreira and trainer David Hall both expressed their pride in Bundle Of Joy, who was two and a quarter lengths behind the victor.

“I’m proud of the way he ran,” said Moreira. “Probably the trip here took its toll a little bit. He didn’t really travel that well in the race, if you look at the race halfway through you would not think he would have finished top five the way he travelled, so overall I’m happy with his run.”

Hall added: “I’m proud of the performance but it’s not the result we wanted. He ran great.”

Ryan Moore said of the Ricky Yiu-trained Amber Sky: “He has led and been taken on. He has run very well.”

In the Golden Shaheen, last year’s runner-up Rich Tapestry and fellow Hong Kong raider Lucky Nine broke sharply to dispute the early lead, with the former snaring the rail berth. It was the Michael Chang-trained Rich Tapestry who looked the most likely Hong Kong success half-way down the stretch, but when American star Secret Circle kicked into overdrive Olivier Doleuze’s mount had no answer.

Ultimately, the biggest threat to the winner came from the least heralded of the Hong Kong trio, Super Jockey. The Millard trainee shifted into the American sprinter’s slipstream entering the final furlong, and, with his jockey Moore in galvanizing mode, Super Jockey dug deep to close with every stride. The line came too soon as Secret Circle flashed past the post in a winning time of 1m 10.64s.

“I was very happy with Super Jockey the whole week and we expected him to run well, but we were just devastated by the draw,” said Millard. “Ryan felt he was maybe a little bit unlucky because he was just a little bit inconvenienced up the straight, otherwise he thinks he would definitely have won it, even with the bad draw.

“He’s a really super horse and we’ll most probably put him away now because he takes a lot out of himself. We will most probably come back here next season – there are one or two other options too. But he’s not bad on the grass! We were a little bit unlucky during the season, and he was inconvenienced once otherwise he would have been in the international races in December, and he deserved to be.”

Chang was pleased with another game effort from Rich Tapestry but disappointed not to be taking away the winner’s trophy.

“He raced well and I’m proud of the horse – there are no excuses,” he said. “The dehydration he experienced on the flight here was not a factor in the end and he raced well – he did his best. I’m not keen to go back to the US with him next season.”

The Caspar Fownes-trained Lucky Nine emptied quickly in the home straight under Brett Prebble.

“We’ll need to scope him before we’ll know after that run. I presume we’ll find something inside,” said the handler.

In the Dubai Sheema Classic, John Moore’s Designs On Rome broke sharply from gate seven in the nine-runner field, but faced with sitting wide, Moreira opted to take his mount back to settle at the tail. With the leader setting steady fractions, the pace was always going to wind up through the closing stages, making things difficult for a late-closer. Designs On Rome rallied wide in the stretch and closed off solidly to four and three quarter lengths fourth behind the impressive winner, the French filly Dolniya. Christophe Soumillon’s mount drew two and a quarter lengths clear of compatriot Flintshire. The winning time was 2m 28.29s.

“He ran with a lot of fight, he put his heart into the race,” said Moreira of Designs On Rome. “Unfortunately he was not able to win but this was his first race overseas and I think he will definitely have gained more knowledge. He will be better for the experience. I’m very happy with his run.”

Moore is looking ahead to a second Audemars Piguet QEII Cup victory next month for Hong Kong’s Horse of the Year.

“He seems to have pulled up okay,” said the trainer. “The pace was never on and he would have had to have closed off sensationally from the back to win. He’ll go back to Hong Kong and he’ll be ready to win the QEII!”