Green Mask Works at Sha Tin for Hong Kong Sprint

Green Mask (Mizzen Mast), one of two American-based horses that will compete in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin Racecourse Dec. 13, got his first feel for the local turf course Tuesday morning. The 4-year-old, last seen finishing a running-on third to Mongolian Saturday (Any Given Saturday) in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland Oct. 31, breezed a strong 800 meters, capping off the work with a final quarter-mile in a spritely :22.4, according to local clockers.

“It was a great work around the dogs,” trainer Wesley Ward commented by phone Tuesday afternoon. “He has been going good, traveled over well and I'm really glad I got him in there as early as I did. I wanted to get him some experience going right-handed, that's really the reason we sent him over sooner.”

Ward reached out to 'Magic Man' Joao Moreira to put Green Mask through his paces. The conditioner said that he'd watched the Brazilian hone his skills in Singapore and brought Moreira over to the U.S. in 2013. He was in the irons for future champion Judy the Beauty's runner-up efforts in the GIII Winning Colors S. and in the GI Princess Rooney H. in the summer of 2013.

“Well, he's the leading rider [in Hong Kong] and we developed a friendship. I was actually hopeful he could ride our horse, but he's committed to another Hong Kong horse [2014 Sprint runner-up Peniaphobia {Ire}, by Dandy Man {Ire}]. But we're very happy to have Joel [Rosario] and he's certainly ridden Green Mask very well in his last couple of starts.”

Moreira reported that all was well with Green Mask post-work.

“Green Mask changed legs a couple of times but that is to be expected for a horse coming from the U.S. where they race left-handed,” said the jockey. “He was thinking about things at first, but once we straightened up he galloped as they wanted him to. They wanted him to go around 47 or 48 seconds and he was able to do that, no problem.”

One of the more lightly raced entrants in this year's Hong Kong Sprint, Green Mask was third to Sole Power (Ire) (Kyllachy {GB})–who will make his fourth appearance in Hong Kong–and Peniaphobia in the G1 Al Quoz Sprint up the 1000-meter straight course at Meydan Mar. 28 (video). The dark bay gelding resumed with a very useful fourth-place effort in the Kentucky Downs Turf Dash Sept. 14 (video) and found a spot of trouble outside the half-mile pole on Breeders' Cup Saturday before closing with a rush to be defeated under a length in the 5 1/2-furlong affair (video). He should be well-suited by the 1200-meter distance of the Sprint.

Green Mask will mark Ward's second appearance in the Sprint. Cannonball (Catienus) was 10th behind Sacred Kingdom (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) in 2009. Ward, who is scheduled to arrive in Hong Kong next Tuesday, said that Green Mask would turn in a similar piece of work next Monday.