Peniaphobia stretched out on the Meydan turf this morning in preparation for Saturday’s (26 March) G1 Al Quoz Sprint (1000m, turf), in which the Tony Cruz-trained gelding will attempt to go one place better than when runner-up to Sole Power twelve months ago.
“I’m very happy with the horse, he’s settling nicely here – all’s well,” said Cruz after watching December’s G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m, turf) winner work down the home stretch.
“I was pleased with his work this morning, he got to the 800 (metres) and then did 30 (seconds) and 26 to the winning post. He was already fit before he left Hong Kong; he had a barrier trial there that I was very happy with so this was just a bit of tuning work. We’ll take things easy with him now into the race.”
Fellow Al Quoz Sprint candidate, the John Moore-trained Not Listenin’tome, cantered a couple of laps of the dirt track soon afterward and appeared to be in good heart.
That was at around 7.15 am, but the early action at Meydan racecourse this morning produced a picture of contrasts on the Hong Kong front as Super Jockey and Master Kochanwong traversed the dirt track.
Super Jockey was his usual relaxed self, loping along contentedly for a lap and a half under Beverly Millard, his gait steady and slow. The same could not be said of his fellow G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen contender, Master Kochanwong. Work rider Gary Lau had the David Hall-trained gelding up against the outside rail, maintaining a tight grip on the cocked head to prevent the six-year-old from exploding into a sprint. The horse was wet with sweat at the finish.
The third of Hong Kong’s 5 am workers, Domineer, looked to be in fine fettle. Caspar Fownes’s Golden Shaheen hope scooted around two laps of the dirt circuit under regular partner Danny Suen.
The fourth of Hong Kong’s Golden Shaheen hopefuls Rich Tapestry was, as usual, one of the last horses to work. The Michael Chang-trained eight-year-old, second and third in the latest two editions of Saturday’s dirt sprint, went a routine two laps at the canter under Tommy Wong.
Gun Pit, prepping for Saturday’s biggest prize, the US$10 million G1 Dubai World Cup, cantered twice around Meydan’s dirt track under Suen. Fownes’s charge has been in Dubai since late February and appears to have acclimatised.
|
Photo 1:
Domineer works on the Meydan dirt in advance of the Dubai Golden Shaheen.
|
Photo 2:
Dubai World Cup hope Gun Pit galloped a circuit of the Meydan dirt this morning.
|
|
Photo 3:
Al Quoz Sprint chance Not Listenin'tome worked on dirt this morning.
|
Photo 4:
Al Shindagha Sprint winner Rich Tapestry is one of four Hong Kong runners in the Dubai Golden Shaheen.
|
|
Photo 5:
Second in the Dubai Golden Shaheen last season, Super Jockey galloped this morning at Meydan.
|
