HKIR Tracknotes: Thursday

'FRIEND' READY AND 'ABLE'

If trainer John Moore is lacking in confidence that Able Friend (Aus) (Shamardal) can bounce back from an unexpected loss in the G2 Jockey Club Mile Nov. 21, he certainly isn't showing it. The Australian, already the owner of six victories on Hong Kong International day, is looking forward to adding to that total, and his hopes were boosted after the stable stalwart shined in a Thursday morning work down the Sha Tin backstretch.

After warming up beneath an exercise rider around the tight trotting ring in the stable area, Able Friend walked off and the reins were handed over to Joao Moreira. The duo stepped on to the track at the top of the chute, right at the 1800-meter start, and broke off into an easy gallop, getting that opening two furlongs in :27.8. Moreira gradually increased the tempo and allowed the nearly 1300-pound chestnut to stretch out over the next 400 meters, completing the work in :25.6.

“I'm happy with him, that was just to keep him turning over,” Moore commented. “All he needed was a freshen-up after his race in the mile a couple of weeks back and he's there now, he's cherry ripe. Joao had a big smile on his face when he came back.”

The victory in the 2014 Mile was the second of six on the bounce, culminating with a success in the G1 Champions Mile that was as ridiculously easy as the one he'd recorded six months prior. It all came crashing down on the opening Tuesday at Royal Ascot, as Able Friend was undone by the track, or the surroundings or Solow (Ire) (Singspiel {Ire}) or some combination of all those. Despite the loss, Moore believes that experience could make Able Friend a better horse.

“He might have been beaten at Ascot, but the time Able Friend had in the paddock at Newmarket after that race did him the world of good,” Moore opined.

Able Friend did not face the starter again until the Premier Bowl H. over a 1200-meter trip that was supposed to be way too sharp. In spite of that, a 133-pound impost and the presence of nearly all the best local sprinters, Able Friend whooshed past late. That effort may have left him on the dull side for the Jockey Club Mile, but given the impression he made Thursday morning, there's no reason to believe a title defense is out of reach.

JAPANESE RUNNERS GET FINAL POLISH

Japan will field no fewer than 10 starters at Sunday's International meeting, and, as is their custom, several of the runner finished off their main preparations with some fast work Thursday morning.

Straight Girl (Jpn) (Fuji Kiseki {Jpn}), third to the sidelined Aerovelocity (NZ) (Pins {Aus}) in last year's race, had her race-day rider Keita Tosaki in the irons as she clocked a relatively easy :25 flat for 400 meters while looking a touch unfocused.

“I did not ask her a lot, just tried to run comfortably today, so I asked her to drive strongly at the end,” said the jockey, who was a creditable third in Wednesday's Longines International Jockeys' Championship at Happy Valley. “She responded very well and seemed to be able to shift into top gear. She looks well.”

Her fellow Sprint contestants worked over a bit further. Mikki Isle (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) went 800 meters in :50.7 (:28.4, :22.3), while Sakura Gospel (Jpn) (Sakura President {Jpn}) galloped over 1200 meters in 1:26.4 (:33.6, :30.3, :22.5).

Hong Kong Cup candidate A Shin Hikari (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) was put through his paces by Yutaka Take and was given the time of 1:28 for his six-furlong 'breeze,” which was capped off by an ultimate 400 meters in :24.3.

“He sometimes has an issue with his temperament and it is new for him to gallop on turf,” Take explained. “But I think he is in good condition and looks well. Hopefully he will be settled on race day.”

Maurice (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}) did not do any fast work Thursday morning and was relegated to a soft canter twice past the stands. He was noticeably wet in his left shoulder as he made his way past the press on his way back to the barn on a morning that was neither especially warm nor humid.

“He cantered nicely,” offered Masanori Watanabe, assistant to trainer Noriyuki Hori. “The only concern with him is that he is tense. He is a bit nervous with the new surroundings, but other than that, things have gone smoothly up to now.”

One of the more unexposed Japanese runners is the 3-year-old Danon Platina (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). The gray colt, winner of the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity S. at two, has made a favorable impression on track this week and impressed again Thursday by finishing 800 meters of work in :23.3.

“He concentrated on his work today,” commented Keisuke Miyata, assistant to trainer Sakae Kunieda. “It was raining last night, but the track condition seemed to be better than expected. He was happy and moved nicely in the stretch. He is looking well.”

PREFERMENT A FIRST FOR WALLER

Trainer Chris Waller oversees some 120 horses at Sydney's Rosehill Gardens and has topped the city's trainers' premiership on five consecutive occasions. The 41-year-old will be represented by his very first Hong Kong runner when Preferment (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) loads the gates for Sunday's G1 Hong Kong Vase.

The 4-year-old colt, winner of the 2014 G1 Victoria Derby, was a near-miss runner-up in the G1 Rosehill Guineas three starts later, but was spelled off an eighth-place effort as the favorite in the G1 Australian Derby this past April. He upset the G2 Hill S. at Randwick in his second-up run Sept. 19 and backed up that effort with a rallying success in the G1 Turnbull S. at Flemington Oct. 4. He can be excused for his ninth behind stablemate Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) in the G1 Cox Plate and 20th in the G1 Melbourne Cup and returns to arguably his preferred 2400-meter trip Sunday afternoon.

Working over 1200 meters on the course proper with jockey Hugh Bowman in the saddle, Preferment was timed in an easy 1:29.1, with a final 400 meters in a smooth :25 flat.

“He's well. He brushed home 400 [meters] this morning,” the New Zealander said on his first morning at trackwork. “I just wanted to take the edge off him, as he's quite a masculine horse and he was proving a bit of a handful yesterday. He's a pretty good horse and I would rate him a top-three chance. He's ready to fight. You can forgive his past two runs at home and he comes here quite fresh. He didn't really have a run in the Melbourne Cup the way it panned out. They went very slowly and he wasn't taxed. If they'd gone 10 seconds quicker in the [Melbourne] Cup and he'd had a tough run, he probably wouldn't be here.”

–All quotes herein obtained from HKJC tracknotes–