HKIR Notebook: Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Notes compiled by Alan Carasso
GLORY FOR JAPAN AS FUKUNAGA LANDS IJC
Japanese rider Yuichi Fukunaga, who earlier this year rode Just a Way (Jpn) (Heart’s Cry {Jpn}) to a barnstorming victory in the G1 Dubai Duty Free S. at Meydan, landed the middle two legs of Wednesday’s Longines International Jockeys’ Championship at Happy Valley Racecourse and outpointed local star Joao Moreira by a count of 24-20 to take home the first-prize check of HK$500,000 (US$64,500).
New Zealand jockey James McDonald got the competition off on a winning note with a victory aboard 3-1 second choice Expectator (Aus) (Oratorio {Ire}), who sat handy to the pace set by Jade Pippo (Aus) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), the mount of South African champion S’Manga Khumalo and outfinished the Moreira-ridden favorite Golden Scalpel (Arch) by 3/4 of a length.
Fukunaga, an even sixth in the first leg, had the call for trainer Almond Lee aboard 10-1 chance Ocean Roar (NZ) (Towkay {Aus}) in the second round of the series going the quirky 1000-meter trip at the Valley. Christophe Soumillon had the mount on 9-5 choice Jolly Posh (NZ) (Stravinsky), but when the favorite missed the break, Fukunaga took full advantage, sending Ocean Roar to the lead before finding the wire a half-length to the good of Excel Oneself (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), the mount of leading local jockey Vincent Ho. Moreira finished third from the widest draw atop Family Interests (NZ) (Sakhee’s Secret {GB}).
With 12 points in the bag for the win in race five, Fukunaga landed on the 24-10 favorite Vara Pearl (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}) in the third race of the competition, and the 4-year-old, trained by Tony Millard, came from a handy spot and narrowly defeated Elegance Klammer (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), while Ho picked up a few more points on Genuine Champion (NZ) (Postponed) in third.
Entering the final leg, Fukunaga was the clear leader on 24 points, but courtesy of his first-race score, McDonald remained in contention, as did Moreira with his trio of placings. Fukunaga partnered with the 6-1 gamble Wah May Baby (Ire)(Amadeus Wolf {GB}) and put the 3-year-old in a perfect spot just behind the speed, while McDonald led through the middle stages astride Sempiternal (NZ) (Postponed) and Moreira had favored Griffindor (Ire) (Kheleyf) in about midpack. Fukunaga was out of gas turning for home, and McDonald found himself 200 meters from the championship, only to be run down by 14-1 shot Amazingly (Ire) (Shamardal) and Longines ‘World’s Best Jockey’ Ryan Moore in the waning strides. Moreira and Griffindor plugged on into third, leaving Fukunaga the overall winner.
American jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. was not dealt the most-gifted set of rides in the competition and did not earn any points. His best effort was a seventh aboard 140-1 longshot Novel Start (NZ) (Ishiguru) in the third leg of the challenge.
Fukunaga will look to continue the positive momentum when he rides G1 Mile Championship runner-up Fiero (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in Sunday’s G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile.
Flintshire Flying Ahead of Vase…
Juddmonte Farms’ Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}), expected to be a solid favorite for Sunday’s G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase, did very little to tarnish his reputation Wednesday morning in his final serious piece of work ahead of the 2400-meter test.
With exercise rider Annelie Ackerman in the saddle, the 4-year-old two-minute-licked for the opening 800 meters of a
six-furlong gallop, then flashed home neatly with a final quarter-mile in a sparkling :22.3. He later took two turns of the expansive Sha Tin walking ring.
“He was beautiful this morning and we are all very pleased,” confirmed Richard Lambert, traveling head lad to trainer Andre Fabre. “The ground here is fast and he just loves it. The inner side of the course is a little bit better, as it is all new. This is the kind of ground you’d want for him; he just thrives on it.”
Lambert continued, “We put him on the turf so that he’d get a feel for the course. When he got into the straight, he just went on his own, according to Annelie, who is all smiles. We then took him to the parade ring, as usual when we send horses over here. We like them to get accustomed to the place, not to be surprised on the big day, even though I suspect there will be many more people to watch on Sunday. There won’t be much more to do now. He’s done what he was supposed to do.”
Though he is winless in five starts this term, Flintshire has performed admirably in some of the world’s top middle-distance tests. Runner-up to Cirrus des Aigles (Fr) (Even Top {Ire}) in Ascot’s G1 Coronation Cup June 6, he turned in his lone sub-par effort of the season when fifth–placed fourth–over unsuitably easy turf in the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud June 29. Second as the odds-on favorite in the G2 Prix Foy Sept. 14, the bay outran odds of 20-1 to fill the same spot behind the repeating Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}) in the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Oct. 5 and ran with credit to finish closest to Main Sequence (Aldebaran) in the Nov. 1 GI Breeders’ Cup Turf.
Archimedes Flying Under the Radar for Cup…
True: the last time Archimedes (Jpn) (Admire Moon {Jpn}) faced the starter was over nine months.
Also true: the last time Sheikh Mohammed’s homebred 5-year-old raced, he was beaten into second in the G2 Nakayama Kinen by Just a Way (Jpn) (Heart’s Cry {Jpn}), who used that 1800-meter heat as a springboard to a massive victory in the G1 Dubai Duty Free S., an effort rated the best in the world in 2014.
Archimedes, whose sire was second to the popular French filly Pride (Fr) (Peintre Celebre) in the 2006 G1 Hong Kong Cup, was extended an invitation to the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup in April, but connections declined, opting instead point for a late-season campaign.
“At that time he was tired and needed a break so we decided to skip that race, so this race has been the big target for him for some time,” trained Hideyuki Fujiwara explained. “So far everything is under control.”
Archimedes validated favoritism in the G3 Asahi Challenge Cup H. Dec. 7 and was first off a three-month rest when he came from 10th to finish 3 1/2 lengths behind Just a Way.
Sent out over 800-meters in his final serious pre-race workout Wednesday, he stopped the clock in :51.1, but sizzled his final 400 meters in a spectacular :22.2.
“I instructed the rider to get a feel of the turf and see how the horse performs on it,” said Fujiwara, who sent out Eishin Flash (Jpn) (King’s Best) to win the G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) in 2010. “That is the most important thing for [Wednesday’s] gallop. There is only one thing left that we have to clear and that is tomorrow’s draw. We need an inside draw, so all we can do now is trust that we will get some luck.”
Archimedes is a grandson of Caress (Storm Cat), a multiple graded-stakes winning full-sister to MGSW Bernstein and GSW & GISP Country Cat, who was knocked down to John Ferguson for $3.1 million in foal to Coronado’s Quest at the 2000 Keeneland November Sale. Following her purchase, Caress went on to become the dam of GISW and top sire Sky Mesa (Pulpit), MGSW Golden Velvet (Seeking the Gold) and MGSP Monthir (Gulch). Caress’s second produce for Darley was Archeology (Seeking the Gold), who was unplaced in Europe before her export to Japan. Archimedes is her second foal.
Those concerned about the extended absence would be soothed by the fact that Archimedes sports a first-up record of three wins and a second from five starts. Yasunari Iwata, who won the 2006 G1 Melbourne Cup and guided Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) to his back-to-back wins in the G1 Hong Kong Sprint, has a return call.
‘Power’ to Attempt to Go One Better…
Earlier this week, Sabena Power’s Sole Power (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}) was named the Horse of the Year in Ireland. This coming Sunday, the 7-year-old will look to improve off a runner-up effort in last year’s G1 Hong Kong Sprint.
Dispatched at odds of 76-1 last December in spite of a campaign that included a victory in the G1 King’s Stand S. at Royal Ascot and a close third in the G1 Nunthorpe S., the popular gelding settled well back in the field on International day, and while he was never getting to the imperious Lord Kanaloa, he raced by everything else to pick up a hefty paycheck.
It has been another very productive season for Sole Power, who won the G3 Palace House S. at Newmarket May 3, then successfully defended his King’s Stand title. He then followed up with a half-length score in the Nunthorpe at York Aug. 22, but was fourth in the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup Sept. 6 and eighth in the G1 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp in his most recent appearance. Though Sole Power has made just eight of his 44 career starts at Sunday’s 1200-meter distance, trainer Eddie Lynam thinks his charge can be equally effective.
“He’s been more of a 110-rated horse over 1200 meters, but more like 117 or 118 over 1000 meters,” Lynam admitted. “However if he runs like he did in this race last year, he’s got a decent chance, if we get luck in running. There is no exceptional horse this year, and the sprint trial here asked as many questions as it answered. I’d be most frightened of the Australian horse Buffering (Aus) (Mossman {Aus})–if he could get an uncontested lead he might be hard to catch.”
That said, don’t expect connections to take Sole Power out of his element or make any drastic changes in his running style.
“This horse never shirks a battle and his style of racing–sitting way off the pace–is untypical of a sprinter,” Lynam states. “He is electric and a real ‘box office’ horse.”
The now-retired Johnny Murtagh was in the saddle for last year’s Sprint, but champion Richard Hughes, who rode Sole Power to his dual Group 1 successes this season, has the call this weekend.
“Richard says that he and Sole Power were made for each other,” Lynam said with a smile.
Stews Issue Report on Spalato…
Hong Kong Jockey Club stewards have issued a status update on an inquiry involving the health of Singapore raider Spalato (NZ) (Elusive City) in the immediate aftermath of his 13th-place peformance in the G2 Jockey Club Sprint Nov. 23.
Stewards interviewed trainer John O’Hara following the conclusion of live racing that day regarding a report made that Spalato had exhibited a ‘restricted action’ in his right hind leg in the stable area prior to the race. There were no significant findings upon initial examination, but the following morning, Nov. 24, Spalato was found to be lame in his right hind.
When questioned on the day of the race, O’Hara told stewards that when the stable assistant attempted to clean Spalato’s right hind hoof prior to the race, and that the horse “walked a bit funny, but after massaging it, he walked out and trotted up good” and that “he sort of walked a bit funny and after walking him for a bit, you know, he sort of loosened up.” Stewards reported that, as with every horse, Spalato was observed by vets in the parade ring and prior to entering the starting stalls and that no adverse reports were made.
Subsequent to this debriefing, HKJC stewards accessed the closed-circuit TV footage from the quarantine barn, which largely corroborated the account given by O’Hara.
Spalato was subjected to another veterinary inspection Wednesday morning at the behest of Dr. Peter Curl, executive manager of veterinary regulation for the HKJC, to assess whether Spalato could be declared for Thursday’s draw. After examining the gelding, Dr. Curl reported Spalato to be ‘satisfactory in his action,’ was showing no signs of discomfort and will be allowed to be entered Thursday.
As per its established practice, HKJC vets will examine Spalato for a routine pre-race examination this coming Saturday.
The inquiry which was commenced Sun., Nov 23, will resume at the Happy Valley Inquiry Room Mon., Dec. 15 at 10 a.m.
Injury Update…
Trainer Robert Heathcote had good news Wednesday regarding the status of G1 Hong Kong Sprint contender Buffering (Aus) (Mossman {Aus}) one day after missing morning trackwork after going lame with a foot abscess.
“We were able to shoe him this morning and he then trotted up pretty well,” the conditioner said of the four-time Group 1 winner. “On a scale of [zero-to-] five, I’d say his degree of discomfort would be about 0.8 and he’s improving all the time. He should be right for some light work [Thursday] and then–all being well–we can gallop him on the turf on Friday.”
There was no update on the condition of Ambitous Dragon (NZ) (Pins {Aus}), who was also dealing with a foot infection Tuesday. On the eve of the 2012 G1 Hong Kong Mile, trainer Tony Millard and his staff worked literally around the clock to try to get the gelding over some right-hind lameness. The miracle came full circle when the Horse of the Year passed the vet and then all his rivals to score an improbable victory. Millard seemed slightly less optimistic when speaking to the South China Morning Post Tuesday.
“I hope the result is the same as 2012, but I can’t say I like these sorts of omens,” the conditioner told the newspaper. “I believe it’s like the problem that the Australian sprinter has, but a little further in, so at first we weren’t sure if it was an abscess or a puncture wound, so we had to be a bit careful. But it looks like an abscess. We still have a couple of days and once they blow, the foot can clean up quickly and the horse will be fine. Luckily, he finished all his fast work on Monday.”
Say What?
“He seems to be right mentally. I hope he’s also right in his heart. I feel he’s getting better and better; Perhaps he reaches his peak when he’s 50!” Corine Barande-Barbe, trainer of HK Cup hopeful Cirrus des Aigles (Fr)