QE II Cup and the Champions Mile at Sha Tin (April 25)

[my miss storm cat]

Uh oh...

http://racing.scmp.com/freeservice/n...s20100418b.asp

[my miss storm cat]

On Cat Junior and Chinchon... doesn't look good.

http://www.thoroughbrednews.com.au/i....aspx?id=46309

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Trackwork notes...

HKJC

Four international horses work at Sha Tin Monday Morning

- Things starting to jell for South African raiders

Steven Jell, assistant trainer to South Africa's great internationalist, Mike de Kock, was more than content with the stable's two horses, Lizard's Desire (APQEII) and Imbongi (Champions Mile) after the pair had done gentle work at Sha Tin this morning. "It was very easy work," said a smiling Jell, "but they're definitely going in the right direction".

On whether Lizard's Desire will be capable of reproducing on turf this Sunday the dramatic improvement he showed last time out when beaten a 'half nostril' on Tapeta by Gloria de Campeao in the G1 Dubai World Cup, Jell was, however, reluctant to commit himself. "We took him to Dubai hoping he'd pick up a handicap, but he just improved out of all recognition. Sometimes a horse just clicks - the way Presvis did, for example - and makes the jump from handicapper to G1, and it could be that's what's happened with him. There's no doubt he loved the Tapeta, and there's no doubt he's improving all the time. We'll find out on Sunday whether he's as good on turf."

Asked whether he felt Imbongi, who finished sixth, beaten one and three quarter lengths in the 2009 Champions Mile, is a better horse this year than last, Jell was again cautiously hopeful. "He could be a little better as he may be coming into the race a little bit fitter," he replied. "The 1800m of the Dubai Duty Free may have stretched him a bit as his best trips are probably 1400m or a mile, but he still ran a very good race. Last year's Champions Mile was slow run and the track was rain affected, and neither of those factors would have suited him. So we're hopeful he can improve on last year. And one other thing in his favour is that he's travelled well. He's not always the best of travellers, but this year he's been fine."

- Jeff Lloyd confirmed for Dao Dao

Hong Kong based South African jockey Jeff Lloyd has been confirmed as the rider for Dao Dao in the Champions Mile which affords him the opportunity to win his first Group 1 race in his new home.

"It's fantastic news,' said Lloyd, "I made an approach a couple of weeks ago and I'm very pleased to pick up the ride. It's a real chance for me. Looking at his form in Australia, you'd say the horse has improved a bit from last year and a bit of rain would probably improve his prospects further."

Michael Hawkes, training Dao Dao under his own name in Hong Kong, said he was pleased to have Lloyd on board. "He rode for us in Australia so there's an existing relationship, he's now practically a local in Hong Kong so he knows the track and knows the opposition,' he said.

Dao Dao, third behind Sight Winner in last year's Champions Mile, continues to do well according to the trainer. "I'd say he travelled a little better this year and has settled in a little better. I really couldn't be happier with him. I just hope he draws a (good) gate and then hopefully the result, for us, will also be a little better,' Hawkes said.

- Japanese contender Never Bouchon starting to settle in

Japanese runner Never Bouchon (APQEII), who jetted into Hong Kong last Saturday, cantered a gentle opening lap and then worked faster on his second lap on the all-weather track this morning.

The traveling head-lad Takafumi Aoki, looking after the seven-year-old horse, commented, "My horse was shying a bit when he got into the stall for the airplane, but he was settled well during the flight, which was his first time experience.

"I think he needs more time to get used to the new surroundings, but the quarantine stable at Sha Tin is very comfortable, and he handles everything step by step at this moment. This is the first experience for me and the track rider to race abroad, and we are trying to relax in front of the horse and keep him happy."

- Presvis to arrive tomorrow

Defending APQEII Cup champion Presvis is now expected to arrive in Hong Kong on Tuesday morning while plans are yet to be confirmed for Chinchon (APQEII) and Cat Junior (Champions Mile).

[my miss storm cat]

Presvis arrived, Chinchon is out (can't get there.... horse flights are not a priority according to KLM), Lizard tossed Jeff Lloyd who might have re-aggravated an ankle injury ("I am on standby for Lizard's Desire, but after the horse's tricks ... I don't mind if Christophe does make it out here" ), Fair Trade might be out...

[my miss storm cat]

Cat Junior forced to withdraw...

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Sha Tin Wednesday trackwork 21 Apr 2010
Hong Kong Jockey Club
Audemars Piguet QE II Cup, Champions Mile 2010 – Tracknotes, Wednesday, 21 April

Following the mishap on Tuesday morning when Lizard’s Desire unseated Jeff Lloyd on the Sha Tin turf, the Mike de Kock-trained runner-up in the Dubai World Cup completed a three-quarter pace gallop on the all-weather circuit without a hitch to the contentment of the watching Steven Jell, the trainer’s experienced assistant.

Imbongi meanwhile cantered on the all-weather uneventfully and both horses later paddock-schooled.

“We decided to try something different today with Lizard’s Desire. It was important that he had a bit of a blow anyway because he missed out yesterday. He has always been a bit quirky in trackwork sometimes, both at home and in Dubai, but never to the extent of yesterday. Anyway there was no harm done to the horse and hopefully Jeff is on the mend.”

On paper at least, the likely pace for the Audemars Piguet QEII Cup does not appear overly strong but Jell was unconcerned.

“They didn’t go very fast in the World Cup and he was half a nostril away from winning. So that’s not really a factor. He’s flexible and he obviously has the class to make his presence felt.”

Evidently, the same sentiment applies to Imbongi.

“He’s probably a better horse than when he ran sixth in this race [beaten one and three quarters lengths] a year ago when a wet track that day didn’t suit ideally. What’s more important is that last year he didn’t have a run on World Cup night leading up to this race whereas this time around he was a good third in the Duty Free. If they go quickly enough in front, he’ll be finishing strongly.”

Hopes are that Christophe Soumillon can travel to Hong Kong to take the ride on both the De Kock horses as the flight chaos in that part of the world appears to ease slightly.

Two key local horses to barrier-trial last week were last month’s Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby one-two of Super Satin and Super Pistachio.

Caspar Fownes, trainer of the former, believes his first Derby hero is worthy of his place but questioned whether he is quite up repeating the sort of form which snatched the Classic six weeks earlier.

“The Derby was the ultimate target for him. It might be hard for him to come back to quite the same level of form in what is obviously a harder race, but he’s a genuine horse and any prize-money he nets is a bonus after the Derby,” the reigning champion trainer said.

On the other hand, Tony Cruz believes Super Pistachio can progress further from his head-margin Derby defeat.

“He improved a few lengths from his first few runs here into the Derby and there is no way he has gone back since then. The 2000m is his trip and he is fully settled into Hong Kong now so why shouldn’t he run another big race?” Cruz asked.

Meanwhile, Danny Shum believes Thumbs Up is primed for a major showing in the Champions Mile, a distance he reckons is his five-year-old’s best trip.

“He’s a Gr.1 winner in the Hong Kong Classic Mile last season and only lost by a head to Fellowship in the Stewards’ Cup and if we are in the QEII Cup like last year [when third] we have to take on the likes of Presvis, Viva Pataca and Collection again so it makes sense to go for the Mile.

“He’s in great form and his barrier trial last week was very impressive, I thought, so I’m confident he will give us his best again and hopefully that’s good enough to win this time. If he does win we will definitely try and take him to Japan for the Yasuda Kinen if invited. I think the Tokyo track and the fast pace would really suit him.”

Tony Cruz may also get a chance contemplate a voyage to Japan with his Champions Mile runners Egyptian Ra and Beauty Flash.

“It depends how they come out of the race on Sunday. Egyptian Ra is an older horse who has problems with his joints but if the ground is fast this weekend he should be in or close to the frame again. For Beauty Flash it’s a little tougher. He is younger but he’s still a chance at level weights over his best distance.”

Australia’s Dao Dao continued his Champions Mile preparation with steady work on the all weather and continues to hold his condition in the now familiar Hong Kong environment.

“He does thrive here and that’s so important. He weighed 573.5 kilograms before he left Sydney for Melbourne by road and then the flight to Hong Kong. He’s now 583 kilograms which tells us he’s done well,’ said trainer Michael Hawkes.

Fellow Mile contender Fellowship, prepared by Paul O’Sullivan, is ‘ticking along well’ according to the trainer as he holds his fitness and certainly his form.

“This is his golden window in his career, his opportunity to win a really good race. He’s been a slow maturer and it’s taken until this season for him to produce his best and now he’s really putting in.

“Yes, you’d love the race to be 1500m. At 1400m, he’s flashing home; the 1500m is his best trip and then he gets to the mile (1600m) where the last bit can test him so he needs the right run,’ O’Sullivan said.

O’Sullivan plans to head on to the Yasuda Kinen in Japan if Fellowship runs well on Sunday. ‘You know he’ll get the good pace that he likes. I spoke to my brother Lance (former champion jockey in New Zealand) about Japan and he said ‘the good news there is they run it hard but the bad news is that they don’t stop,” he said.

Australian jockey Brett Prebble is hopeful that Fair Trade’s problems are behind him and that he can deny the visitors, including Dao Dao whom he might have ridden, in the Mile.

“I think Caspar [Fownes, trainer] has him sorted out. He wasn’t quite right after the Chairman’s Trophy. I know one thing for sure and that’s that he is good enough to win it,” said Prebble - a two times Champions Mile winner aboard Sight Winner and Bullish Luck.

Never Bouchon, the Japanese contender for the Audemars Piguet QEII Cup on Sunday, had a leisurely workout over the all-weather track at Sha Tin today.

The seven-year-old entire showed a brilliant turn of foot when completing back-to-back wins in the 2009 and 2010 G2 American Jockey Club Cup (2,200m) in Nakayama in January. But the APQEII will be his first outing over 2000m since he finished a close fifth in the G3 Nakayama Kimpai in January 2009.

If anything, however, the drop back in trip to the APQEII’s 2000m may be to his advantage, and travelling head lad Takafumi Aoki insisted that: “There is no concern about the distance.”

“He has lost a bit of weight since his previous race, the G2 Nikkei Sho in March (when he was fourth), but that is not a big problem. Everything is going well. He is not an easy going, laid back type of horse, but once he gets used to new surroundings, he becomes settled, and he understands the racing is coming shortly.”

JRA jockey Yuta Onodera, who is retained by the Masanori Ito stable, is helping with Never Bouchon’s workouts this week, and he said, “Our horse gets used to working on the all-weather track and copes with it well. His action is just like it is when he’s at home, and he is in very good form.”

[my miss storm cat]

Okay here we go!

(Ummm, not 100 percent sure Ryan will make it...)

Race 7 - THE CHAMPIONS MILE
Sunday, April 25, 2010, Sha Tin, 15:55
Turf ,"A" Course ,1600m

Prize Money: $12,000,000.00, Rating: -, (GROUP 1)

Horse No. Last 6 Runs Colour Horse Wt. Jockey Draw Trainer Rtg. Rtg.+/- Horse Wt. (Declaration) Gear
1 8/4/3/1/3/7 GOOD BA BA 126 W C Marwing D Cruz - - TT
2 4/8/1/4/5/1 EGYPTIAN RA 126 F Coetzee A S Cruz - - TT
3 2/1/3/1/6/2 FELLOWSHIP 126 Z Purton P O'Sullivan - - TT
4 6/6/7/9/5/11 SIGHT WINNER 126 O Doleuze J Size - - TT-
5 1/11/6/8/4/6 ABLE ONE 126 D Beadman J Moore - - H
6 5/4/3/1/1/1 BEAUTY FLASH 126 M Chadwick A S Cruz - - TT
7 3 DAO DAO 126 J Lloyd M Hawkes - - SW
8 2/2/7/4/3/2 THUMBS UP 126 R Moore C S Shum - - B
9 6 IMBONGI 126 C Soumillon M F de Kock - - SR
10 3/2/1/2/3/7 SUNNY KING 126 B Doyle J Moore - - H
11 4/6/1/1 FAIR TRADE 126 B Prebble C Fownes - -
12 7/3/1/1/1/1 BRAVE KID 126 D Whyte J Size - -



Race 8 - THE AUDEMARS PIGUET QE II CUP
Sunday, April 25, 2010, Sha Tin, 16:35
Turf ,"A" Course ,2000m

Prize Money: $14,000,000.00, Rating: -, (GROUP 1)

Horse No. Last 6 Runs Colour Horse Wt. Jockey Draw Trainer Rtg. Rtg.+/- Horse Wt. (Declaration) Gear
1 9/1/10/2/1/5 COLLECTION 126 D Beadman J Moore - - TT
2 3/1 PRESVIS 126 R Moore L M Cumani - - XB
3 3/6/4/6/7/4 VIVA PATACA 126 W C Marwing J Moore - - H
4 LIZARD'S DESIRE 126 C Soumillon M F de Kock - - SR
5 2/1/3/2/8/3 MR MEDICI 126 H W Lai L Ho - -
6 NEVER BOUCHON 126 H Goto M Ito - -
7 1/2/1/1/1/1 SUPER SATIN 126 D Whyte C Fownes - -
8 2/5/4/11 SUPER PISTACHIO 126 F Coetzee A S Cruz - - TT
9 8/12/2/1/9/7 UNIQUE JEWELLERY 126 B Prebble J Size - -

[my miss storm cat]

Able One! (Who won this race three years ago)...

http://www.hkjc.com/english/racing/r...eno=7&venue=ST

Viva Pataca! (... who also won this one 3 years ago)!

http://www.hkjc.com/english/racing/r...eno=8&venue=ST

7 and 8 years old respectively. Lets hear it for the old men of Hong Kong!

* * *

Their 2007 wins...

Able One...
http://www.hkjc.com/english/racing/r...2007&raceno=07

Viva...
http://www.hkjc.com/english/racing/r...2007&raceno=08

[my miss storm cat]

Epilogue...

Viva Pataca becomes HK's top $ earner... pointed to the Champions and Chater Cup (next month)...

Able One to the Yasuda Kinen.

Collection ("He was in the foulest of moods. He wasn't happy going to the start, he was kicking out and biting at the stalls and he didn't settle early on," - Beadman), Presvis, Lizard's Desire, Super Satin all possible for Singapore.