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Woodbine Mile Day Prince of Wales Stakes Del Mar Futurity Del Mar Debutante Pacific Classic Day |
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 Friday morning was paddock schooling time at Sha Tin. Here are Japanese horses Lucky Lilac (Vase), Indy Champ (Mile), and Danon Smash (Sprint). |
The Longines Hong Kong International Races will be run this Sunday afternoon (Saturday night in North America) at Sha Tin Racecourse. As usual, horses from Europe, Asia, and Australia ship in for the four Group 1 races, billed as the Turf World Championships, with the HK$28 million (about US$3.6 million) Hong Kong Cup the highlight of the afternoon, contested at 2000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles). Conditions were excellent during training hours Friday, with overcast skies and the temperature of 16 C (61 F), eventually climbing to a daytime high of 21 C (70 F) mid-afternoon. Today was the first day for paddock schooling, so many took advantage of that.
Here are photos for 9 of the international horses out on on the track or schooling in the paddock at Sha Tin on Friday morning. Click the small photo to see a larger version.
Edisa (Cup) worked a lap of the Sha Tin all-weather, clocking 56.6s (29.0, 27.6) with work rider Louise Grouselle allowing her partner to ease past a couple of other horses up the straight and finished the morning with paddock schooling. Trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre said, "Previously I have come with top fillies and this is a good filly, not a top one. But I had a good feeling about coming because she did very well in America on a quick track and I think she will be able to adapt to the Hong Kong track. When you come to a place like Melbourne, Hong Kong or Dubai, once you've done it plenty of times, you know what you need to do. The filly has done very well and looks in excellent condition. She is from a great Aga Khan family and normally they are even better at four. She has improved all through the season and she is definitely stronger than she was at the beginning. I saw the Galileo filly of Aidan's this morning [Magic Wand] and she looks beautiful so I know it will be difficult but my filly is very genuine and she always does her best."
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Aspetar (Vase) went a circuit on the all-weather track, going much faster than he had earlier in the week, clocking 51.2s (28.4, 22.8) for 800m. Schooled in the parade ring, appearing to take it all in his stride. Trainer Roger Charlton said, "He's only been going steadily earlier in the week but the plan was to go quicker today, more like the way we do it a couple of days before a big race at home. The surroundings are completely different here to the tranquillity of my training base at Beckhampton in the UK so it took him a few days to get used to the noise but he seems to be adapting now. I used to think he was a soft ground horse but he's won twice now on a fast surface so it should be okay on Sunday. He needs to find a few pounds but we race for peanuts in the UK and we have to come to where the money is."
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Lucky Lilac (Vase) cantered a lap and a half around the all-weather course; completing his final 400m in 32.1s and finished the morning with paddock and gate schooling. Assistant trainer Eishu Maruuchi said, "She feels really good today after her breeze yesterday."
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Young Rascal (Vase) worked on the all-weather track, clocking 1m03.4s (32.8, 30.6) for 800m and schooled in the paddock. Trainer William Haggas said, "He's just on the dirt this morning. I don't know why I'm here today as I'll leave it to the rider with him, he knows him better than I do! He did all of his serious work before he left, I've been very happy with him."
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Admire Mars (Mile) worked three quarters of a lap around the all-weather course over 1200m in 1m30.9s (31.7, 30.7, 28.5) and finished the morning with a bit of paddock and gate schooling. Assistant trainer Yusuke Oe said, "He is relaxing nicely and when we neared the track, he took hold of the bit, so he is ready to run. His schooling went very well."
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Indy Champ (Mile) cantered a lap and a half around the all-weather course, completing his last 400m in 31.8s and finished the morning with paddock and gate schooling. Trainer Hidetaka Otonashi said, "Today's main focus was to get him used to the gate handler and he handled it very well. It has been a while since I've seen the horse and he looks really good. We're hoping he can reproduce the same effort he gave us in his last race."
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Zaaki (Mile) had an easy breeze on the turf covering 1200m in 1m 27.5s (29.3, 32.5, 25.7), followed by a visit to the parade ring. Work rider Fabien Guilois said of the four-year-old gelding, who will be ridden by Ryan Moore on Sunday: "He did a normal canter on turf today, just like yesterday. He has done nothing but improve all through the year and comes here at the top of his game."
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Danon Smash (Sprint) warmed up on the quarantine trotting track before cantering a lap and a half around the all-weather course. He finished the morning with a bit of paddock and gate schooling. Assistant trainer Keiichiro Yasuda said, "He didn't seem to mind the gate handler this morning and relaxed well in the gate. If he can stay just like he is now, we will be very happy."
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In Her Time (Sprint) breezed the turf track, covering the final 800m in 59.7s (34.0, 25.7). Trainer Kris Lees said, "She looks good, I'm happy with her. She's pretty relaxed and settled in well. Obviously air travel is a little different but she's coped. She's been to Melbourne four times and box to box Newcastle to Caulfield by road is not dissimilar time-wise. She's stabled alone here but that hasn't bothered her. The old trick of the mirror in the box and I had her stabled on her own for 10 days at home, before she left, just get to used to it. She's fine."
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