I hope you enjoyed as much as I did the Dubai World Cup day simulcast from Meydan last Saturday. The Hong Kong team, though might not perform up to a lot of racing fans’ expectation before the races, achieved fair results as our runners managed to get two third placings in the Al Quoz Sprint and Dubai Golden Shaheen respectively that evening.
Joy And Fun looked exceptional when he showed up at the paddock, but he made a slow start in the Al Quoz Sprint. After starting slowly from Gate 6, his jockey Brett Doyle possibly fear his runner might not get a clear run if he stayed at the rear, so he decided to ride him early to gain a handy position and the horse was urged to accelerate much earlier than we expected. Given such circumstances, it’s understandable that Joy And Fun was a bit flat-footed in the final stages, but he still hung in there valiantly and was only passed in the final 100m. With hindsight, had he not started the race slowly, I believe he would have finished closer. One would like to think he might have even won but, either way, it was a brave performance by the horse and a good effort for his trainer and jockey.
I think Lucky Nine's gallant attempt in the Dubai Golden Shaheen was equally impressive, as he had to overcome the disadvantageous factors of a wide draw, a first appearance on the Tapeta surface, as well as the uncertainly brought about by his hoof problem earlier last week. But this horse still coped very well and produced a determined, grinding stretch run to get third in his race.
Supporting those decent performances in the early races, I can tell you that the Hong Kong connections at Meydan were eagerly looking forward to the chances of our three runners before the Dubai Duty Free. The race organisers had staged a very impressive show with firework performances before this race. But I’m not sure if some race runners, especially Ambitious Dragon, had been affected by that. This might be a reason in explaining why he looked to be fizzed up in the Parade Ring and being a rather different horse than he does in Hong Kong. In the race, Ambitious Dragon managed to get a decent position early on but when his jockey Douglas Whyte produced him in the straight, the response was far from the electric acceleration to which we have become accustomed. Personally, I think he’s not the “true” Ambitious Dragon that night and I heard the next day that the horse developed an elevated temperature in the morning after the race, which could be another reason to explain why he wasn’t at his best. Xtension was bumped to the rear after the jump but he made a game late run for 5th, while a below-par California Memory endured a disappointing run as he faded out early in the stretch.
As I previously said, when racehorses travel abroad, they do not necessarily, as some would think, perform as they do on home turf. Anyway, all these Dubai runners arrived back in Hong Kong this afternoon. I hope they have recovered well after their Dubai trip, not affecting their preparation and probable plans for the Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup on 29 April and BMW Champions Mile on 6 May.
Meanwhile, I’m pleased to see that some of overseas runners who participated in our international races last December obtained wonderful results in Dubai. Topping them all were Hong Kong Mile runner-up Cityscape who won emphatically in the Duty Free, as well as Hong Kong Cup 5th Cirrus des Aigles who defeated Breeders’ Cup Turf winner St Nicholas Abbey to claim the Dubai Sheema Classic.
I’m glad that connections of Cityscape have shown an initial interest in making a return visit to Hong Kong. The possible participation of this sensational winner, adding to other possible contenders such as Godolphin Mile winner African Story and the Mike de Kock-trained Duty Free runner-up Mutahadee, will certainly add flair and attractiveness to our spring internationals in the next few weeks. I look forward to hearing further news from them before the lists of selected runners are announced in the next two weeks.
There will not be any midweek race meeting tomorrow. I hope you all will enjoy your Easter holidays with your family and friends before our upcoming races at Sha Tin on Easter Monday. See you later!
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