By Alan Carasso
They are six, seven and eight years old, respectively, but Designs On Rome (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), Blazing Speed (GB) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}) and Military Attack (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}) have continued to turn back the clock and each looks tough in their own right ahead of Sunday's G2 Jockey Club Cup at Sha Tin. The race serves as the course-and-distance prep for the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup Dec. 11.
Designs On Rome, winner of Hong Kong's richest race in 2014, was underdone and overbet when fourth against the dynamics in last year's Cup, but if the beginning of this prep is any indication, the Moyglare-bred shapes as good as ever. Dispatched as a 20-1 gamble in the Oct. 23 Sha Tin Trophy H. (1600m), Designs On Rome was given a Berry-esque/Moreira-esque ride by Karis Teetan, looping the field on the circle, then, remarkably, sustaining the run to narrowly best the onrushing Blazing Speed.
“His first-up win was good,” Teetan said. “Even before I rode him last time I said he was ready to go again. He felt good, it was great to see him win and come back to his old form again.”
Blazing Speed owns Group 1 wins locally at 1600, 2000 and 2400m, and his return effort in the Sha Tin Trophy–like Designs On Rome under 133 pounds–was full of merit. He'll get to stretch back out to his best trip Sunday.
“He looks magnificent, he's bouncing and he's going into his pet distance off as good a run as he could have had in any season,” commented jockey Neil Callan. “His last run proved that he's in really good form and that he's ready to come out fighting again this season.”
It's not customary to call an 8-year-old an X-factor, but such is the role that will be played by one-time Horse of the Year Military Attack Sunday. Just touched off by Designs On Rome in the 2014 Hong Kong Cup, he got his head home just ahead of Blazing Speed in this event when second-up last year, but was off form until finishing second at 70-1 in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup last April. He goes off the layoff here, but is–not insignifcantly–the choice of Joao Moreira.
“It's nice to be back on him, I won the Hong Kong Gold Cup on him and I also rode him a few times to run close behind Designs On Rome a few years ago,” Moreira said. “Last year he won this race and he was getting five pounds from Blazing Speed and he's getting five pounds again from the top two horses.”
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