With last season’s Hong Kong Champion Sprinter Aerovelocity out of the picture for the foreseeable future, 11 aspirants are slated to stake a claim for supremacy in Saturday’s (21 November) Group 2 BOCHK Wealth Management Jockey Club Sprint at Sha Tin.
The 1200m contest is the prime lead-up to the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) on Sunday, 13 December and Douglas Whyte is looking forward to teaming up with Super Jockey, a horse that in March almost pulled off an international upset when powering to within a head of crack American sprinter Secret Circle.
“I think Tony’s got him flying,” said Whyte, who climbed aboard the Tony Millard-trained seven-year-old for the first time only last week. That was for a 1050m all-weather barrier trial and Super Jockey impressed with an easy “win” under a tight hold, ears pricked.
Now the man who was 13 times Hong Kong’s Champion jockey is hoping that, in last season’s G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen (1200m, dirt) runner-up, he has an ally that could carry him through Saturday’s test and on to a first LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint triumph. That would complete Whyte’s personal set of LONGINES Hong Kong International Race wins, the South African having already prevailed in the Hong Kong Cup (2013 Akeed Mofeed), Hong Kong Mile (2013 Glorious Days) and Hong Kong Vase (1998 Indigenous).
“I think he ran a super race in Dubai last season and his first-up run this preparation was with merit,” said Whyte, referencing the dual course and distance winner’s smart second to Not Listenin’tome, back on turf, in the HKG3 National Day Cup (1000m) on 1 October.
“Saturday’s race is a tough ask of him and these Group 1s and Group 2s, as this race is, don't get any easier but he’s got the writing on the board. He’s certainly working well - I trialled him last week and he’s in great order.”
Last year’s BOCHK Wealth Management Jockey Club Sprint victor, the Tony Cruz-trained Peniaphobia, is engaged for Saturday’s speed feature, as are Richard Gibson’s top-class sprinter/miler, Gold-Fun, and the Caspar Fownes-trained veteran and former two-time Hong Kong Champion Sprinter, Lucky Nine.
Fownes has also engaged I’m In Charge, a six-year-old on the up with six wins to his credit from only 14 Hong Kong starts. The Magnus gelding heads into the biggest test of his career a fresh horse, having not raced since a first-up win in the Class 1 HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup (1200m) on 6 September.
“I galloped him the other morning and he worked pretty well,” said Saturday’s pilot, Zac Purton. “He’s not a big horse but he’s strong enough. He’s an improving type, up-and-coming; he’s up against the big boys now though, so there’s nowhere to hide.
“He did things well last time but he did have the right draw, he had a soft run and no weight on his back. If he didn't won that race he’d be no hope in a race like this, but he did and now he needs to make that next step. We’ll know more after Saturday but he is still quite lightly-raced and so he has the potential to do it; and the Hong Kong sprinters aren’t as strong as they’ve been, overall, so he’s struck at the right time to put his hand up if he can.”
Also among the top-class entries are the John Moore-trained duo of Not Listenin’tome and Charles The Great. Millard has also engaged the useful Golden Harvest and the emerging talent, Strathmore, while the Francis Lui-trained Smart Volatility and the Gibson-trained Dundonnell complete the probable line-up.
Saturday’s Jockey Club Raceday, the principal lead-up to the LONGINES HKIR, also features the G2 LONGINES Jockey Club Cup (2000m), entries for which include the likes of Military Attack, Blazing Speed, Beauty Only, Helene Super Star and Dominant; while the G2 BOCHK Wealth Management Jockey Club Mile entries feature the outstanding Able Friend and his multiple G1-winning stablemates Designs On Rome and Dan Excel, as well as the exciting rising stars, Contentment and Packing Pins.
