Hong Kong’s G1 Sprinters Stakes (1200m, turf) hope Rich Tapestry is settling into his new surroundings in Japan since arriving there from Hong Kong early on Thursday morning.
The seven-year-old, who will line up against Japan’s elite sprinters on Sunday, 4 October, is no stranger to overseas travel. This time last year he became the first Hong Kong horse to win on North American soil when victorious in the G1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship (1200m dirt), and the talented Holy Roman Emperor gelding has also tasted success in Dubai, having triumphed in the G3 Mahab Al Shimaal at Meydan (1200m, Tapeta) earlier in 2014.
Rich Tapestry worked in the rain on a yielding track at the quarantine centre this morning.
“He worked for two laps today, half at a trot and a lap and a half at a canter,” said trainer Michael Chang. “He’s settling in well and taking everything in his stride as usual. He had a little temperature when he first got off the plane but he was soon back to normal,”
Hong Kong horses have won the Sprinters Stakes, staged at Nakayama Racecourse, twice previously thanks to Silent Witness (2005) and Ultra Fantasy (2010).
