French trainer Pascal Bary was on hand at Sha Tin this morning to oversee Smoking Sun’s final workout ahead of tomorrow’s HK$20 million G1 Audemars Piguet QEII Cup and was able to reassure the assembled media that all was well with the horse despite his recalcitrance on the training track through the week.
Smoking Sun cantered strongly on the all-weather track this morning and was more fluent in his work than earlier in the week when he was repeatedly in stop-start mode in the mornings.
“He’s fine. He’s always been a bit difficult in the mornings. He’s been like that for two years now. He was worse in Singapore last year and still ran very well,” Bary said in reference to Smoking Sun’s second to Dan Excel in the 2014 G1 Singapore Airlines International Cup.
“We never do too much with him in the mornings. He’s fit and he’s eaten up all week which is very positive. The barrier draw (10) is fine as he is not quick from the start in any case. We are hopeful of a good performance,” Bary said of the six-year-old who will be the first Hong Kong runner for his owners, the Niarchos family who’d previously sent 2002 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Domedriver but he was scratched due to illness.
Ed Dunlop, like Bary, was at Sha Tin for the first time this week and was pleased with the condition of his evergreen warrior Red Cadeaux. “He’s in great order. The best barometer of his well being comes from Robin (Trevor-Jones) and Steve (Nicholson) and they’re happy with him which is all I need to know.
“They’re like his parents. They’ve travelled with him for something like two and a half years in the past four (years) and know him backwards. I’d be on the phone to Robin twice a day every day and the feedback has been very positive. He came here a fit horse and it was really a case of doing as little as possible with him this week,” Dunlop said.
Red Cadeaux will be lining up for his 51st career run in the APQEII Cup and no other runner has had as much racing nor competed in as many countries – eight. “His longevity is rare as is his ability to cope with the travel. He’s in the twilight of his career now and it’s one race at a time but he hasn’t given us the sign yet that he’s had enough.
“He showed in Australia that, even as a nine-year-old, he could be competitive at the trip (2000 metres) against the best middle-distance horses there plus a few from Japan. He’s a marvel,” Dunlop said.
David Hayes was also pleased with Criterion who stretched his legs on the all-weather track and was again obviously relaxed. “He’s settled in like he’s been here all his life. He’s eaten up all week and thrived. His attitude is the thing that’s really pleased me. He’s been so relaxed,” Hayes said.
Japan’s Staphanos had an easy breeze on the turf track and looked in good shape as he ran home the last 400m in 25.3 seconds. He worked under the supervision of the trainer Hideaki Fujiwara who flew into Hong Kong last night.
Fujiwara was happy with the horse and said, “He looks good in form, good shape and conformation and brightness of eye. There was only one concern that he had travelled here on his own, which meant he was unable to relax at first and his appetite decreased. However he has been getting used to it (Sha Tin) and has been getting fitter and doing better after the first couple of days.
“I brought two horses here in the past – Eishin Flash and Archimedes. They were both powerful types of horses, but Staphanos is a typical type of Deep Impact colt. He is a very light horse and has a strong late kick. The turf track here appeared to be a little softer than when I came here last December. It is like a tough and heavier track for him. The assistant trainer galloped him to grab the feel of the surface on Wednesday, but today, I wanted the horse to get more used to it. Jockey (Yuichi Fukunaga) will arrive tonight, and we will finalize the tactics. We don’t want to use him up early and to take the edge off his finish,” Fujiwara said.
Fujiwara said the Sha Tin facilities were excellent for his horse whom he believes is still capable of further improvement. “I thank the Hong Kong Jockey Club for inviting us and they have been giving us impressive support so I would like to give the best result we can here. There are good local and overseas horses who will be hard to beat, but we will do our best against them. He is still a four-year-old and has lots of scope,” Fujiwara said.
Meanwhile local favourite Designs On Rome continues to please trainer John Moore. “From his gallop last week to his work on Thursday, the improvement’s been really something. We took a close look at him, both on the track and back at the stable, and he’s put on good bodyweight. He could have more sheen in his coat but that’s all part and parcel of what happens when you travel horses. All in all, we think we’re in there with a great chance,” Moore said.
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Photo 1:
Military Attack
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Photo 2:
Criterion
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Photo 3:
Red Cadeaux
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Photo 4:
Smoking Sun
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Photo 5:
Staphanos
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