Able Friend (Aus) (Shamardal), the world's top-rated miler, will not travel to Dubai for the G1 Dubai Turf, nor will he venture to Australia for the G1 Doncaster Mile following a lunchtime meeting Monday between owner Dr. Cornel Li, trainer John Moore and his son George. The focus will instead be on a domestic campaign, to include the G1 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup over 1400 meters Mar. 15, the Chairman's Trophy going a mile Apr. 7 and the G1 Champions Mile May 3. In making that announcement, Moore also indicated that should an overseas trip be on the agenda, the more-likely option is the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot as opposed to the G1 Yasuda Kinen in Tokyo the same month.
“We had a great lunch and Dr, Li asked myself and my son, George, for our opinion on his view that it would be best to keep Able Friend in Hong Kong until his program here is finished and then look at the Royal Ascot option,” Moore told South China Morning Post. “Dr. Li has had runners at Royal Ascot before, so he knows the meeting well, and I can certainly see where he is coming from. That would allow Able Friend to have a spell afterwards, maybe even some time in a green paddock in England, at the end of the campaign.”
Moore added, “Dr. Li isn't opposed to Dubai as a future option, perhaps next year when we feel Able Friend, as a 6-year-old, will be at his absolute peak. But he said to me we've got a very special horse on our hands, we won't overrace him the way the Hong Kong program is and let's look at doing more overseas travel with him next season.”
Runner-up to Designs on Rome (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) in last year's Hong Kong Derby, Able Friend has won three times from four starts this season, including comprehensive scores in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile Dec. 14 and more recently the G1 Stewards' Cup Jan. 25.
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