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Audemars Piguet QEII Cup Tracknotes (Friday, 24 April) - Warhorse Military Attack primed for APQEII Cup battle

24/04/2015

Military Attack, on Sunday, contests the HK$20 million Group 1 Audemars Piguet QEII Cup (2000m) for the third straight year but for the first time under the care of trainer Caspar Fownes who is approaching the race with cautious optimism.

“It’s no secret he’s had his problems over the past few months,” said Fownes of the horse who won the APQEII Cup in 2013 and was runner-up to Designs On Rome last year for John Moore, “but I think he’s quite comfortable in himself at the moment.

“He’s had the niggling problems that good horses tend to have. Sore feet, bit tight in the joints but I think we’re on top of them. He looks really healthy, his bodyweight’s good and I was pleased with his trial and how he worked on Wednesday.”

Fownes acknowledges the quality of Military Attack’s opposition, headed by Designs On Rome and Australia’s Criterion, but is not bowing to either. “You don’t ever concede defeat before the start. Hayesy’s (David Hayes’) horse Criterion is looking really good and we’ve got the defending champ Designs On Rome but there wasn’t much between the three of them in December.

“Who knows, Designs On Rome might be less sharp on the day after the trip to Dubai, and, from gate two, Military Attack gets his chance. He’ll go forward, taking advantage of the gate. On his trial he’s going to be very competitive. He’s a lot, lot better than he was last run and I think he’s about where he was last December,” Fownes said.

The December G1 Hong Kong Cup short-head second to Designs On Rome (with Criterion a length third) is one of four starts the seven-year-old has had for Fownes. He won on his stable debut last October and was also a photo second to Blazing Speed in the G2 Jockey Club Cup (2000m) before December’s international G1.

He returned to racing on 1 March and sported blinkers for the first time when fourth to Designs On Rome in the G1 Citibank Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m), and the blinkers will stay on. “We’ll leave the cups on. Zac (Purton) felt that he was distracted by all the signage in December’s big race and that might have cost him the race,” Fownes said.

David Hayes also reiterated his enthusiasm for Criterion’s prospects while acknowledging that the local duo, that beat him home in the Hong Kong Cup, would again provide a stiff test for his recent Randwick G1 winner.

“I have great respect for the two local horses,” Hayes said,” but I really think Criterion’s going to run a terrific race. Everything looks to have gone very well. He’s a tick under 500 kilos (kilograms) which is the same weight as when he won the Queen Elizabeth at Randwick.

“He’s had an uninterrupted prep this time around, in contrast to December. He’s eating and drinking well and while the two weeks between runs, with the travel, is always some concern I’d say I’m less worried about that now than I was before he came here.”

Criterion cantered on the dirt this morning, covering the final 800m in a relaxed 59.3s (30.3s, 29s).

Japan’s Staphanos also put in a routine canter on the all-weather track and moved well under assistant trainer Kazuo Fujiwara before going off to the 1000m start for a walk through the starting gate. Staphanos clocked 1m 01.6s (32.5s, 29.1s) for 800m.

Fujiwara said, “The horse was not shying at the gate or the stall handler.  Everything has gone as planned.  He has been a bit tense at times here but is now back in good form - he is in a good mood.  The trainer (Hideaki Fujiwara), who will arrive tonight, made the decisions whether to work him on turf or all-weather and whether he needs the stall handler.  I think he has now adapted to the new surroundings.  He walked very dynamically on the grass, too”   

Red Cadeaux continued his prep with an easy canter on the all-weather track this morning. All appears to have gone smoothly with Ed Dunlop’s popular world traveller.

Meanwhile, the Pascal Bary-trained Smoking Sun was recalcitrant again. The six-year-old entire has developed a habit of stopping in the home straight and this morning connections applied blinkers. They seemed to help inasmuch as his rider was able to get the French contender moving again with much more ease than on previous days.

He did put in some solid work down the backstretch, clocking 51.4 s (26.6s, 24.8s) for 800m.

Criterion
Photo 1:
Criterion

Red Cadeaux
Photo 2:
Red Cadeaux

Smoking Sun
Photo 3:
Smoking Sun

Staphanos
Photo 4:
Staphanos

 

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