Gold-Fun (Ire) (Le Vie Dei Colori {GB}) tuned up for his appearance in the June 18 G1 Diamond Jubilee S. with an easy barrier trial up the 1000-metre straight course Tuesday morning at Sha Tin Racecourse.
Fitted with pacifiers and partnered in the trial by jockey Chad Schofield, the blaze-faced chestnut jumped more or less on terms and landed near the speed while not asked to do so. On the pace throughout, he was not fully extended to cross the line in third while clocking a time of :58 flat (video) to the satisfaction of his English ex–pat trainer Richard Gibson.
“We were happy with that,” the conditioner remarked. “We just wanted a nice easy trial before travelling on Friday and Chad was very pleased with his action–he gave him a bit of a blow and it's all systems go for next week. We put the pacifiers on to prevent any risk of an eye injury with any kickback, and he always trials a lot better when he wears his racing gear.”
Gold-Fun is set to depart Hong Kong in the early-morning hours of Saturday and is expected to be bedded down in the Abington Place Stables later that evening.
Winner of the G2 Jockey Club Sprint in November, the Pan Sutong runner was second in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint in December and again in the Centenary Sprint Cup the following month. He was most recently fourth to world top-rated sprinter Chautauqua (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) in the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize May 1.
“We've kept this horse very fresh and he runs very well fresh,” said Gibson. “This will be his seventh run this season…and we're in the sprint division, so I've got less concerns about that.”
Gold-Fun will be ridden by Christophe Soumillon in the Diamond Jubilee.
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