After Werther’s convincing win despite a significant interference in Sunday’s Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup, everybody was expecting that he would go to Dubai. But yesterday the news broke that owner Johnson Chen decided not to take up the invitation, which I can understand from his point of view if one looks at the specific circumstances of Werther.
Werther has come back from a lengthy injury and Sunday’s win was only his second start back. Having a champion horse who has just recovered from injury, it is a question for every owner of such a champion if one should take the risk of going to Dubai. Werther, as with most champions, seems to have an attitude and is not always the most easy to handle, and one could question if he is a horse who travels well and settles in well in a new environment. Furthermore, Hong Kong horses who have run in Dubai have a record of not backing up that well in their next start in Hong Kong, making two long haul trips within a very short period of time. Being the defending Champion of the Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup, in which he achieved his highest rating of 124 in the international classification, makes it even more enticing not to take such a risk this year.
While we would like to see our good horses compete outside of Hong Kong in top races around the world to show the quality of Hong Kong racing, sometimes these changes in plans are understandable.
Tonight we have an all-weather meeting at Sha Tin, where the feature is a competitive Class 2, the Egret Handicap, over 1200 metres, and it has drawn a full field of 12. The pace is likely to be good with Pablosky the likely leader with Most Beautiful right there to his outside, along with Perpetual Treasure who should be close. California Whip will likely stalk with Love Shock in midfield on the rail. Born In China and Eroico will probably be behind them with the in-form Archippus, a graduate of our Hong Kong International Sale, near the rear, hoping his late kick fires again.
California Whip is a handy course and distance winner and was not beaten far in the Hong Kong Classic Cup. It is clear that he seems better over these shorter trips for now, and with one very convincing effort on this track already, is my main pick to repeat the effort from January. Love Shock was second to California Whip last time, in what was also his first try on our all-weather, and is a win and place hope.
Eroico has not disappointed with four placings, which includes two wins, over the dirt, but will have to carry 15 pounds more tonight, which might be too much to carry, and is a placing chance. Most Beautiful provided his best performance in five Hong Kong starts when over this course and distance in Class 3 last time, carrying 133 pounds. He steps into a much tougher race tonight but should go forward under Dylan Mo and carrying just 105 pounds, is a place chance for me.
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