Celebrating excellence is an important part of the Club’s culture and it was fitting Tony Cruz’s towering feats as a jockey and trainer during a career now into a remarkable sixth decade were recognised at Sha Tin yesterday (Saturday, 10 May).
Tony’s effort to win 2,500 races so far – 946 as a jockey and 1,554 as a trainer – is unmatched in Hong Kong, which is considered one of the most competitive jurisdictions in the world, and it was wonderful that so many of Tony’s fans could gather around the Parade Ring to pay homage to a Hong Kong racing legend.
Tony, 68, started in his career with the Club in 1973/74, subsequently advancing to virtually every available racing honour in Hong Kong as champion apprentice jockey, six-time champion jockey and dual champion trainer.
As a jockey and trainer, the quantity and quality of Tony’s feature race victories in Hong Kong – and also abroad – are exceptional and his contribution, still ongoing, has been huge. I congratulate him and wish him the very best for the future.
I attended a strategy retreat with the Club Board of Stewards at Conghua on Thursday and Friday when vital issues such as the equine industry development in the Mainland were discussed with a focus on the pivotal role of Conghua Racecourse.
The Board also visited the Conghua Racecourse Grandstand site where construction is now into its final stretch and interior fitting out for most of the Grandstand will be completed in the third quarter this year.
I look forward to the completion of the project which represents one of the most significant undertakings in the Club’s history.
Our simulcast programme continues today (Sunday, 11 May) with the first of eight races from NHK Mile Cup Day at Tokyo Racecourse from 11.25am. The G1 NHK Mile is carded as S1-7 and will be run over 1600m at 2.40pm.
The pace will be good with TIRATORE going forward from a wide draw and TOTAL CLARITY also in the leading group.
ADMIRE ZOOM (Yuga Kawada) was a Group 1 last season taking the Asahi Hai Futurity (1600m) in December. He resumed in good form settling just behind the leaders and beating all but IMMIGRANT SONG at Group 2 level on 12 April. ADMIRE ZOOM is a win and place chance.
IMMIGRANT SONG (Christophe Lemaire) ran home strongly to beat ADMIRE ZOOM by a neck at Nakayama. IMMIGRANT SONG may settle closer here from a good draw in gate six and has a significant riding change with Christophe taking over. IMMIGRANT SONG is a place chance.
LAND OF CHAOS (Seinosuke Yoshimura) was third to ADMIRE ZOOM in the Asahi Hai Futurity in December and was an easy winner at G3 level at Hanshin on 5 April beating ARTE VELOCE. LAND OF CHAOS is a place chance from barrier five.
YANKEE BAROWS (Mirai Iwata) is an emerging talent who will be suited by a strong pace with his come from behind racing style. He finished too powerfully for his rivals to win a G3 contest over 1400m on 22 March at Chukyo and, while this is a stronger contest, YANKEE BAROWS is a place chance.
Following the Tokyo meeting, attention turns to ParisLongchamp Racecourse in Paris for Poule d’Essai des Poulains Day with the first of four simulcast races from 9.15pm.
The G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains for colts is carded as S2-3 and will be run over 1600m at 10.25pm.
The pace in this race is generally slow early with the tempo building from the half-way mark, but DOS MUKASAN, MISUNDERSTOOD and REACH THE SKY should ensure the race is run at a reasonable tempo.
Andrew Balding’s JONQUIL won the Greenham Stakes down the straight 1400m at Newbury on 12 April. JONQUIL was strong at the end of that race and will handle the extra distance here and is a win and place chance for Oisin Murphy.
Aidan O’Brien has won this race five times and has a strong hand again. HENRI MATISSE last season won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del mar in November over 1427m and made a winning return at Leopardstown on 30 March, beating COMANCHE BRAVE over 1400m. Ryan Moore rides HENRI MATISSE and is a place chance.
HOTAZHELL (Shane Foley) won four of five starts as a two-year-old, culminating in victory in the G1 Futurity Stakes at Doncaster in October where he narrowly beat DELACROIX and WIMBLEDON HAWKEYE. HOTAZHELL is a place chance.
RIDARI (Mickael Barzalona) scored a narrow win in the Prix de Fontainebleu over this course and distance beating SAHLAN. He is a place chance along with MISUNDERSTOOD (Alexis Pouchin).
The G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches for fillies is carded as S2-4 and will be run over 1600m at 11.05pm.
The pace is likely to be moderate through the first half of the contest with EXACTLY likely to lead, with DAYLIGHT and MANDANABA also prominent early.
ZARIGANA is an overwhelming favourite who prepared for this contest by winning the G3 Prix de la Grotte over this course and distance on 13 April. Her trainer Francis-Henri Graffard won this race last year. ZARIGANA is still learning, but has enormous talent and is my win and place selection for Mickael Barzalona.
Her stable mate is unbeaten filly MANDANABA who has made all to win both her career starts. Those runs were over further than 1600m and she comes back in distance to tackle this race. MANADANABA will be strong at the end of the race for Maxime Guyon and is a place chance rising sharply in class.
SHE’S PERFECT was a brave second to ZARIGANA when resuming she will improve further from the outing and is a place chance. Andre Fabre is represented by BETTER TOGETHER (Alexis Pouchin) who was beaten on debut but has since won her next three starts and is also a place chance.
Aidan O’Brien has four runners, BEDTIME STORY (Colin Keane), EXACTLY (Ryan Moore), HEAVENS GATE (Sean Levey) and MERRILY (William Buick). BEDTIME STORY is an exciting filly returning to racing and is a place chance and EXACTLY will settle on the speed and be in the race for a long way.
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