By Andrew Hawkins
Dirt specialist Gun Pit is on track to become Hong Kong’s second Breeders’ Cup runner after impressing with a trial ‘win’ in sloppy conditions at Sha Tin this morning (Tuesday, 18 October), but connections have a couple of concerns that still need to be worked through before the son of Dubawi boards a plane bound for the United States.
Snagged to the tail of the field by Zac Purton in the early stages of the 1200m heat, the Caspar Fownes-trained galloper remained extremely wide and out of trouble throughout but cruised to the line to best a group that included G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize place-getter Strathmore.
“Under the conditions, I was extremely happy,” Fownes said about his charge, who will be aiming at the G1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on 4 November. “There were some nice horses in that trial and he finished off beautifully. Zac was very happy too.
“Right now, it’s all systems go, we’re still trying to get there. There have been a few issues with visas, and at the moment we’re trying to figure out the flights. Right now, we’ve got a flight path that’s not ideal, that’s going to Anchorage, then to Seattle, then to Los Angeles. That would mean 28 to 30 hours in the air, and that makes it a much tougher trip.
“So for now, we’re trying to work out what is best for the horse. He’s in great condition, he’s been set for the race, he looks beautiful, and hopefully the next few days fall in our favour.”
Fownes indicated that, should the flight plans and visa issues be resolved, he would like to have the six-year-old stabled at Santa Anita by Sunday (23 October).
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Photo 1:
Gun Pit is set to become Hong Kong��s second runner in the Breeders�� Cup races.
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