Able Friend Appears At Last

ABLE FRIEND APPEARS AT LAST 
Having patiently waited all week for the final gallop of race favorite Able Friend (Aus) (Shamardal), there was no way I was going to miss it. The information was extremely vague, though, and all that was certain was that Able Friend would grace either the turf or the all-weather track, sometime between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. This meant I found myself in a taxi at 4:30 a.m. this morning, with a very confused taxi driver, who asked three times whether I was sure I really wanted to go to the Sha Tin racecourse. 
Despite the early hour, morning trackwork is always a magical affair, with the steady drum of hoof beats, steam rising in the air and the occasional curse as a horse misbehaves. Here at Sha Tin, three tracks with several entrances and exits, as well a maze of underground tunnels into which horses disappear only to pop up elsewhere, makes it busier than Grand Central Station. To add to the confusion, the horses all wear numbered saddlecloths, in different colors, with each color indicating the year the horse arrived in Hong Kong. 
So knowing who just whizzed past you at 40 kilometers per hour is an absolute nightmare. What I did know was that Able Friend was a liver chestnut and that he sports a green saddlecloth numbered 303. I was diligently keeping an eye on the tunnel exits onto both all-weather tracks, but it was to no avail, as Able Friend quietly snuck onto the turf from the walking ring. Thankfully, trainer John Moore is always easily recognizable in the stable’s maroon colors. So a flash of a chestnut tail disappearing behind the trainers’ tower and Moore standing on the turf meant I was pretty sure I knew who had just headed for the back straight. A short while later, Able Friend, ears pricked, reappeared down the floodlit home straight, working a strong 1200 meters under race rider Joao Moreira and finishing off in a solid :25.2. Moore was pleased with the final piece of work, but could not resist adding that while his horse is in fine fettle, the outside gate is not quite what he would have chosen. 
After such excitement, I was peacefully enjoying my morning coffee–with the famous Sha Tin Blue Cow condensed milk–when my new friends from the 1800 meter mark yesterday alerted me to two more Mile contenders quietly thundering down the all-weather. Coffee went flying as I scrambled to get my camera at the ready, as first visiting Australian jockey Hugh Bowman galloped by on emergency acceptor Flame Hero (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}), followed in quick succession by the flashy Gold-Fun (Ire) (Le Vie Dei Colori {GB}). 
Winner of last season’s HKG1 Hong Kong Classic Mile, Gold-Fun is rated one of the best milers in Hong Kong, and Sunday sees him paired with 13 times Champion Hong Kong Jockey Douglas Whyte. Coupled with a peach of a draw in barrier two, he should have less to do than most of the fancied runners, but may be vulnerable if he hits the front too soon. While Gold-Fun went round at a steady half-pace, Flame Hero was asked to do a bit more by Bowman and finished off strongly down the home straight. Having recently arrived in Hong Kong, Bowman, one of Sydney’s leading riders, admitted that he knew little about his mount, but added that Flame Hero gave him a good feel and moved very well through the gears. 
On the international front, it was a quiet day, with Variety Club (SAf) (Var) chilling in the Quarantine Stables. Trainer Mike de Kock, having arrived yesterday morning, indicated that he was very satisfied with the entire and that he would do no more work before the race. Meiner Lacrima (Jpn) (Chief Bearheart) went for a walk around the vast paddock with its retractable roof, and if the eye-rolling the 6-year-old was performing on his return is anything to go by, he was less than impressed. Race rider Zac Purton hopped aboard Gordon Lord Byron (Ire) (Byron {GB}) and had an easy blow out on the turf under the watchful eye of trainer Tom Hogan, who flew in last night. Purton was happy with his mount, commenting that he was well balanced and a beautiful ride. And thus ended the last trackwork session for the Champions Mile. Of course, in true Hong Kong style, heavy rain is predicted for Sunday, but then again, it is the Year of The Horse, and absolutely anything is possible.