APQEII Cup barrier draw puts last year��s winner out wide

23/04/2015

Designs On Rome will break from a wide berth in Sunday’s Group 1 Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2000m) after last year’s winner drew stall 11 at today’s (23 April) barrier draw for the HK$20 million feature.

Fellow leading fancy, Australia’s Criterion, drew gate one, right against the fence, while Japan’s Staphanos will break from the five berth; everyone’s favourite globe-trotter Red Cadeaux drew gate nine and 2013 winner Military Attack will start from stall two.

Trainer John Moore was content with Designs On Rome’s lot - and that of stablemate Same World who was drawn widest of all in gate 12 - and was thoroughly pleased to see his third runner, Helene Happy Star, draw gate four.

“Designs On Rome doesn't want to be cluttered up and from gate 11 he’ll just go back to the last four, as we know; and from gate 12, Same World, we know he has speed so the thinking is he’ll go on,” said Moore.

“Drawing gate four will give Helene Happy Star an opportunity to get cover early, probably midfield, and be tracking horses like Military Attack or even Criterion. Hopefully he should be getting a good run one or two off the fence.”

David Hayes was another trainer with a smile on his face after the draw. His contender, Criterion, has to find a length on Designs On Rome and Military Attack based on their last meeting when the Aussie challenger was third in the G1 Hong Kong Cup at the course and distance.

“He looks like he has held his form from his last run and he has a good barrier,” said Hayes. “As long as Craig (Williams) can get a bit of luck between the 600m and the 300m he should be competitive.  I’m happy with one, we just need luck. If you draw out in these races you have to have that bit of luck whereas we can create a bit of our own luck from in there.

“I think he’s a good deal better (than in December). I know him now - I’d only had him for three or four weeks before that run so we were guessing a little bit - and he really is responding to the routines we’re giving him. We’re not galloping him too hard and he loves that.”

Tony Cruz will saddle Blazing Speed, California Memory and Helene Super Star in Sunday’s big race and the Hong Kong legend was pleased with how they drew.

“I think there will be one or two fast ones that will lead, like Same World and the Japanese horse, but from gate eight I reckon Blazing Speed will be able to run along in about third or fourth position. Last time he stayed on the inside, got boxed in and couldn't come out. Hopefully this time around it’ll go our way. I’m very happy with him,” said Cruz.


“Helene Super Star is drawn three and I’m happy with that. He’ll be racing handy. I think he’s an upcoming horse,” he continued. “California Memory’s in gate seven, his prime time is over, I think, but I reckon if runs big he can run a place and then we’ll all be over the moon.”

Japan’s Staphanos drew gate five and trainer Hideaki Fujiwara’s assistant Kazuo Fujiwara was fine with that.

“That draw is the most ideal position, it’s where we wanted to be,” he said. “Hopefully we can bring our best to the race. We will make a decision tomorrow about whether he will need a stall handler because he will have gate practice in the morning.”

France’s Smoking Sun, trained by Pascal Bary, was drawn in gate 10, while the Andreas Schutz-trained Packing Llaregyb will break from stall six in the 12 runner field.