Sun Jewellery and Thewizardofoz head into Sunday’s (24 January) HKG1 Hong Kong Classic Mile as the two highest-rated Hong Kong-based horses of their generation. That in turn means trainer John Size appears to have a particularly strong hand to play in this season’s major four-year-old contests.
Size, a seven-time Champion Trainer in Hong Kong but as yet without a Hong Kong Classic Mile success, is unable to split his rising stable stars going into the level-weights test. The handicapper can: he has Sun Jewellery on top with a domestic rating of 110, 5lb clear of Thewizardofoz (105).
“I don’t think there’s much between them, it just depends how they separate once you ask them to do more and ask them to do things that they cannot do,” said Size. “Their distances become defined and their class becomes defined pretty quickly when you get to the top level.
“You couldn’t compare the two,” he continued. “They’re two completely different animals at this point, different styles of horses, but they have to both come together under these conditions to run in the four-year-old races and adapt to what these races are going to be, so we’ll see how they go.”
Sun Jewellery has four wins from only five starts in Hong Kong, that after winning two from four in lesser grades around Victoria pre-import. The chestnut has impressed in his rise up the ranks at Sha Tin with a run pattern in his four 1400m starts that has seen him stalk the pace before shifting out to quicken home. That template was followed first-up this term when second to Dashing Fellow, and again when back to winning form last start in a Class 1 1400m on 13 December.
The Snitzel gelding, so dominant in his first three Hong Kong wins, gave the impression last time that he was working a little harder close home than previously to keep the challengers at bay - but then he was no doubt entitled to be, racing second-up off a career high mark against seasoned rivals. The Classic Mile will be his first attempt at a mile.
“It didn't really look like he’d go this way when we got him, probably because, being a Snitzel, he might have been restricted to a short distance - 1200 metres or something,” said Size. “But that view changed once he started to run. In his first start (1200m) he came from well back to win, so he showed he could run a bit further and then a lot more doors opened up for him.
“It seems like he could get the mile. He’s been running 1400s in good company and he’s been finishing those races off, so in this (expected) tempo, it might get pretty comfortable and that will allow him to run a mile against his own age.”
Sun Jewellery has been kept fresh, without a run in more than a month. “The horse has been fine, he hasn’t had any conditioning problems or soundness problems, he’s been good, so I expect him to run his normal race,” noted Size.
Thewizardofoz, like his stablemate and imminent rival, won three from three last season and did so in such imperious style - albeit in Class 3 and 4 - as to send his reputation skywards. Those wins all came at 1200m. First-up this term, pitched into Class 2 and upped to 1400m, the Redoute’s Choice gelding went off a 1.5 favourite but failed by a neck to match a powerful run from Sunday’s rival, Blizzard. Under similar conditions next start, Thewizardofoz was a 1.6 chance but managed only third behind the solid Class 2 galloper Celestial Smile and another Classic Mile hopeful, the Italian 2,000 Guineas winner, Hero Look.
“He didn't give me any indication that there was anything wrong with him, I think he just needed some racing and just needed some catching up to his rating,” said Size. “Sometimes they go ahead so quickly that they’ve got to get used to the new figure, so his runs were sound without winning but then at his third start he redeemed himself and went back to where he was.”
Thewizardofoz banished the gathering cloud of those defeats with a brilliant victory last time out. The bay slipstreamed the pace in that 1400m heat, then shot home for an eased down two and three quarter lengths victory. Blizzard was second, conceding 5lb to the winner. Consort, another likely Classic Mile rival, and Hero Look were never a threat.
“He’s got a very good pedigree and I suppose that helps you in any sort of race. He’s very quick so he’s got to slow down just a little bit to adapt to these tempos,” said Size as he pondered Thewizardofoz’s first attempt at a mile.
The trainer is hoping that the experience his two charges have gained at Sha Tin over the past season or so will stand them in good stead against the usual bevvy of more recent imports.
“I think, on paper, it looks like the horse that has been here longer has already made his adaption and we know something about the horses, we’ve had experience with them. It should work in their favour,” he said.
The Hong Kong Classic Mile is the first major step on the road to the ultimate four-year-old prize, the HKG1 BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) on 20 March. The second and middle leg of the big trio comes on 21 February, the HKG1 Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m).
