LONGINES Hong Kong International Races Thursday (10/12) track notes

10/12/2015

LONGINES Hong Kong Cup

A SHIN HIKARI (JPN)
Galloped 1200m on turf course under jockey Yutaka Take in 1m 28s (32.4, 31.3, 24.3).
Take said: “He sometimes has an issue with his temperament and it is new for him to gallop on turf.  But I think he is in good condition and looks well.  Hopefully he will be settled on race day.”

CRITERION (AUS)
Cantered on the all-weather track.
Trainer David Hayes said: “Really happy with him. He just had a lazy canter this morning. We'll give him some good striding work tomorrow morning, 14 (seconds) to the furlong (200m) and get Craig (Williams) to come down and ride him. He's just been a wonderful horse and he's holding his condition.”

DAN EXCEL (HK)
Galloped on turf in company with Vase contender Dominant and clocked 1m 25.4s (30.5, 31.7, 23.2) for 1200m.
Trainer John Moore said: “He hasn’t been quite the same since he won the race in Singapore in May. There’s a possibility that everything has caught up with him a bit. He’s longer in the tooth, it’s harder to get the condition off him, so the jury’s out on him at the moment.”

FREE PORT LUX (FR)
Cantered on the all-weather track.
Trainer Freddie Head was in relaxed mode after watching his G2 Longchamp winner Free Port Lux exercise on the all-weather: “He seems in just the same form as he is back home at Chantilly which is a good sign. Regarding his chance on Sunday, it is true that he is not a G1 winner but he does come here a fresh horse and that could be quite an advantage over some of his rivals.”

GAILO CHOP (FR)
Did some light work on the all-weather track.
Trainer Antoine de Watrigant said“We were anxious to see how he came out of yesterday’s sharp workout on the turf, and the news from this morning is good. We’re happy.”

MILITARY ATTACK (HK)
Jockey Zac Purton said: “He's been a fantastic horse for me over the years and he's still going well. We were just touched off last year when he was battling with some feet issues. He's been set for the race and he's in it with a shout again.”

NUOVO RECORD (JPN)
Galloped on turf course and clocked 24.1s for final 400m.
Trainer Makoto Saito said: “She grabbed hold of the turf and handled the track.  She seemed to get a feel of the track and moved nicely today.  I am sure she will regain her weight by Sunday.  I am very happy, she looks well.  She is in good form.”

SATONO ALADDIN (JPN)
Galloped 1200m on turf course in 1m 24.2s (31.8, 29.0, 23.4).
Trainer Yasutoshi Ikee said: “It is not long since his last race (in the G1 Mile Championship), so we did not ask him to do a brisk gallop today.  I think everything including transportation has gone well, and his condition is coming back to the same as last time.”

LONGINES Hong Kong Mile

ABLE FRIEND (HK)
Breezed the turf and clocked 53.4s (27.8, 25.6) for 800m under Joao Moreira.
Trainer John Moore said: “That was just to keep him turning over – all he needed was a freshen up after his race in the mile a couple of weeks back and he’s there now, he’s cherry ripe. Joao had a big smile on his face when he came back.”

DANON PLATINA (JPN)
Galloped 800m on turf in 56.4s (33.1, 23.3).
Keisuke Miyata, the assistant to trainer Sakae Kunieda said: “He concentrated on his work today.  It was raining last night, but the track condition seemed to be better than expected.  He was happy and moved nicely in the stretch.  He is looking well.”

ESOTERIQUE (FR)
Cantered on the turf track 1200m in 1m 25.4s, the last 400m in 26.2.
The Andre Fabre-trained Esoterique accompanied her stable companion Flintshire (HK Vase) to the turf track for the first time this week, and also put in a steady canter over 1200m, quickening the tempo a little over the last 400m. Nothing too strenuous was asked of her, but the three-time Group 1 winner looked well enough as she did all that was asked of her.

MAURICE (JPN)
Cantered easily on turf.
Masanori Watanabe, the assistant trainer, said: “He cantered nicely.  The only concern with him is that he is tense.  He is a bit nervous with the new surroundings, but other than that things have gone smoothly up to now.”

LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint

GREEN MASK (USA)
After remaining in the quarantine barn the last two mornings, he emerged as the final horse to visit the turf course on the morning, merely walking alongside trainer Wesley Ward with Florent Geroux (the jockey for Mongolian Saturday) up top.
Trainer Wesley Ward said: “He has glue on shoes and he kind of had a harder, faster work than I wanted the other morning (Monday, 800m on the turf in 47.3s (25.3, 22.0). A lot of times that glue kind of jams the inside heel, so we pulled the shoes off today and he went beautiful.”

MIKKI ISLE (JPN)
Galloped on turf and covered 800m in 50.7s (28.4, 22.3).
Work rider Yusuke Hirai said: “He has had only easy canters since he arrived, so I let him move comfortably today.  He is in good condition, is well and is very relaxed.  I hope everything will go smoothly until the race.”

MONGOLIAN SATURDAY (USA)
Stood and watched other horses train for 10 minutes and then cantered one lap around the Sha Tin all-weather track.
Interesting fact: Trainer Ganbat Enebish has made 203 starts in his North American training career with total earnings of US$1,329,747. Mongolian Saturday alone has banked US$960,926, which accounts for 72% of the trainer's career earnings.

RICH TAPESTRY (HK)
Moved smoothly as he galloped 800m on turf under Gerald Mosse in 55.3s (32.4, 22.9).

SAKURA GOSPEL (JPN)
Galloped 1200m on turf in 1m 26.4s (33.6, 30.3, 22.5).
Trainer Tomohito Ozeki said: “His mood is good and he ran nice and strongly this morning. We will familiarise him with the starting gate tomorrow. He is on his toes.”

SOLE POWER (IRE)
Cantered and light gallop while under restraint two laps around the Sha Tin all-weather track.
Owner David Power said: “This will be his twenty-seventh grade one start, it’s truly remarkable. He’s run in the (LONGINES Hong Kong) Sprint three times before (2nd in 2013 and 9th in both 2011 and 2014) and the one year he missed, it’s because he wasn't invited. He’s eight years old now, but still likes to mix it up. He’s going to keep going as long as he has the will to keep going, but we will never reduce his (competition) level. He’s been so good to us.”

STRAIGHT GIRL (JPN)
Galloped on turf under jockey Keita Tosaki and clocked 25.0s for 400m.
Tosaki said: “I did not ask her a lot, just tried to run comfortably today, so I asked her to drive strongly at the end.  She responded very well and seemed to be able to shift into top gear. She looks well.”

LONGINES Hong Kong Vase

DOMINANT (HK)
Worked over 1200m in 1.25.4s (30.5, 29.7, 25.2).
Jockey Zac Purton, who rides the horse for the first time since they combined to win the 2013 Vase, said: “That was the last time I rode him but I have a feeling it might be the right time to get back on him now. His last run was OK and I worked him this morning and he gave me a great feel. I think John (Moore) has him going as well as ever.”

MING DYNASTY (FR)
Cantered one lap around the Sha Tin all-weather track.
Trainer Mikel Delzangles said: “He's a good looking horse. He’s very relaxed, which is a good sign for a young horse off their first big travel, so I’m okay with that. This is a test to see how he will behave with this level of competition, big travel, plenty of people, he’s not in his normal environment. We will decide how to proceed with his next year campaign. I am very surprised he is doing so well, I have to say. Relaxed, not scared. That’s good. If he’s like this the day of the race, he could do very well. We’ve been schooling him in the walking ring. We want a good race out of him (on Sunday). Of course a horse like Flintshire seems tough to beat. If we’re not too far from him it will be good for next season. He was quite laid back, didn’t run at two and it’s been a gradual progression. He became a racehorse this spring and never stopped progressing.”

PREFERMENT (AUS)
Worked over 1200m on the turf in 1m 29.1s (32.5, 31.6, 25.0).
Trainer Chris Waller, on hand for the first time this week, said: “He's well. He brushed home 400 (metres) this morning. I just wanted to take the edge off him as he's quite a masculine horse and he was proving a bit of a handful yesterday. He's a pretty good horse and I would rate him a top three chance. He's ready to fight. You can forgive his past two runs at home and he comes here quite fresh. He didn't really have a run in the Melbourne Cup the way it panned out. They went very slowly and he wasn’t taxed. If they'd gone ten seconds quicker in the (Melbourne) Cup and he'd had a tough run, he probably wouldn't be here.”

CANNOCK CHASE (GB)
Worked on the grass over 800m in 54.8 (31.0, 23.8).
Travelling head lad James Savage said: “He came to Hong Kong freshened up with this race in mind. But this will be his hardest race to date and you have to really respect rivals like Flintshire and Highland Reel.”

CIRRUS DES AIGLES (FR)
Did some light work on turf.
Trainer Corine Barande-Barbe said: “We went on the turf today because of the rain yesterday. Nothing too serious but he moved nicely. There were a lot of press around and he noticed them noticing him!”

DARIYAN (FR)
Dariyan put in a routine canter and looked relaxed and on good terms with himself as he went about his task.
Trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre said “He was on the turf yesterday, and his work is all done, he’ll have a couple of quiet days between now and Sunday. It would be a nice story if he could follow his mother (Daryakana -  HK Vase winner in 2009).”

FLINTSHIRE (FR)
Cantered on the turf 1200m in 1m 25.6s, the last 400m in 24.3s.
LONGINES Hong Kong Vase defending champion Flintshire appeared on the turf track for the first time this week under his regular rider Annelie Ackerman. He was asked to do no more than a routine canter, increasing the pace over the final 400m,- and looked in good order under his rider’s hold.
Richard Lambert, travelling head lad to trainer Andre Fabre, said: “That was all we wanted, everything is good.” Fabre is expected to be at the track on Friday morning.

HIGHLAND REEL (IRE)
After his gallop on the turf track on Wednesday morning Highland Reel continued his preparations with an easy canter on the AWT on Thursday.
Travelling head lad Pat Keating, who has charge of the horse until trainer Aidan O’Brien’s anticipated arrival in Hong Kong on Sunday morning, said: “I think he’s looking very well, and everything is well with him. I am hoping for a good run on Sunday, and I think he should be in the mix,” he said.