By Alan Carasso
Aerovelocity (NZ) (Pins {Aus}), the reigning champion sprinter in Hong Kong, will attempt to defend his title in the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen at Chukyo Racecourse Mar. 27, South China Morning Post reports.
The 7-year-old follwed his Japanese success last March with yet another score on foreign soil when he became the third straight Hong Kong-based galloper to scoop the G1 KrisFlyer International Sprint in Singapore last May. He returned to action in the Premier Bowl H. in October, but dropped out to finish last and was subsequently sidelined with a heart irregularity, forcing connections to bypass the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint in December. A win in that event would have secured connections a US$1-million bonus for taking three legs of the Global Sprint Challenge in a calendar year. Finally given a clean bill of health, Aerovelocity made a victorious return to action in the Centenary Sprint Cup Jan. 31 (video).
“He will be going back, and why not?” trainer Paul O'Sullivan told SCMP. “He went as well as ever on Sunday and more importantly, pulled up well after the race. He looks like he is back to his old self.”
Though there is a seven-furlong option at home in the G1 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup Feb. 28, O'Sullivan and jockey Zac Purton believe Aerovelocity is better over 1200 meters.
“At 1200m, he is a horse that puts them away at the 300m and then just grinds,” O'Sullivan said.
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