Audemars Piguet QEII Cup Tracknotes (Wednesday, 22 April) - Hayes delighted after Criterion works under rival Purton

22/04/2015

Trainer David Hayes described it as like ‘sleeping with the enemy’ when he called on Zac Purton to work G1 Audemars Piguet QEII Cup contender Criterion, at Sha Tin, this morning in the absence of raceday pilot Craig Williams who doesn’t arrive in Hong Kong until the morning of the race.

Purton, who rides Military Attack in the APQEII Cup, was happy to oblige and was perhaps unsettlingly pleased with the form of his raceday rival who worked over 1200m in 1m 24.4s, on the turf track, and ran home his last 400m in 24.2s.

“He felt great,” Purton told Hayes, “it was really nice work. His attitude was 100 per cent and he quickened up nicely at the end of the gallop. He’s so relaxed you wouldn’t know he was a colt.”

Hayes concurred: “That was good work. He wasn’t out to break any records, just have an easy stretch. He’ll work a lot stronger in company but he’s pretty relaxed when he’s on his own and that’s all we wanted. I like to train him a touch on the easy side.”

Hayes said he was also impressed with the four-year-old’s appearance and demeanour. “His coat’s great and he’s a healthy no nonsense horse who reminds me of Jeune and his relaxed attitude is similar to Better Loosen Up,” Hayes said referring to two of his past greats – Jeune, a Melbourne Cup winner and Better Loosen Up who won a Japan Cup.

“I’m really happy with him. He’s done so well here. Like me, he obviously likes Hong Kong and I was happy and thankful to have Zac (Purton) help us out this morning. I didn’t want the horse to do too much and I knew Zac would get it right which he did.

“He should run his race. The two weeks between runs is a quick back-up and that’s my only possible concern. You’d prefer three weeks in an ideal world but he looks so well.

“I know him now. I’ve been training him for six months and he’s better prepared for Hong Kong this time. December was a bit of an afterthought; he’d had hard runs in the Cox Plate and the Mackinnon and he still nearly beat the locals. And all that was after the hullabaloo of nearly being taken off the flight, being treated for colic which he didn’t have  and the bad reaction he had to the tick wash,” Hayes said in reference to Criterion’s third behind Designs On Rome in the G1 Hong Kong Cup last year.

That December race was his first start for Hayes. “He had far from the ideal prep then. He missed five days training in 12 (days) leading into the race and still finished close,” he said. Criterion was one length behind the winner Designs On Rome.

Criterion, this time, certainly comes to Hong Kong a fresher horse. He’d had a six start campaign leading into December’s run – in contrast he’s had just three runs in this 2015 preparation and, of course, comes off a commanding 2.5 lengths win in the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on 11 April.

The well-travelled Red Cadeaux was runner-up on that occasion after an interrupted run. “He was a little bit unlucky there,” said trainer Ed Dunlop’s assistant Robin Trevor-Jones,”it was a tremendous run back to the mile and a quarter (2000m). This trip is not frightening to him at all when you look at the Sydney run and go back to his (Dubai) World Cup second.”

Hayes concedes that his Ed Dunlop trained rival was unlucky at Randwick. “No question he (Red Cadeaux) got held up and would have finished closer but in the last 200m Craig (Williams) was easing down the throttle on our horse,” Hayes said.

Hayes said he has no ground concerns with the son of Sebring despite the fact that his three G1 wins have come on rain affected tracks. “The wet suits him because it slows the others down. He’s fine on firm ground. He ran well here in December on a good track and was beaten an inch in the George Ryder (Stakes) last month on firm ground and they almost broke a course record,” he said.

Criterion’s international companions Red Cadeaux and Smoking Sun had light exercise on the all-weather track while Japan’s Staphanos had a good breeze on the turf – working over 800m in 51.3s, coming home the last 400m in a quick 22.7s after assistant trainer Kazuo Fujiwara had asked him to stretch out to the winning post. Staphanos then went off to familiarise himself with the covered Sha Tin parade ring. 

Fujiwara said: “The track was softer than the turf course in Japan – this is new for him and he had to work to pick his feet up a little bit more than he is used to.  But he was fresh and lively after the gallop.  He appears to be fit and is now familiar with this new environment. I think he will move up into another gear from today’s gallop.”

Meanwhile, veteran Hong Kong star California Memory may surprise according to trainer Tony Cruz.  “He’s in top form right now. We’ll run out this whole season and we’ll see how he is. If he doesn’t perform we’ll have to think about what we do but right now he looks good and I’m pleased with him,” he said.