BMW Hong Kong Derby candidates Ruthven and Rivet will face in-form stablemate Eagle Way in a select line-up for Sunday’s G3 Centenary Vase Handicap (1800m), with trainer John Moore looking for his high-profile four-year-olds to signpost their Classic Series credentials.
Each of Moore’s three was a G1 winner pre-import: Eagle Way and Ruthven won the Queensland Derby in 2016 and 2017, respectively, while Rivet took the Racing Post Trophy as a juvenile in England.
Eagle Way has already taken his shot at the BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m), running sixth last year behind another Moore galloper, Rapper Dragon. The five-year-old is set to shoulder a 131lb impost on Sunday after overcoming a lung issue to win the G3 January Cup Handicap (1800m) at Happy Valley last start. Moore believes that weighty burden will be tough to overcome against his younger rivals, the seven-runner field’s bottom-weighted pair with 113lb.
“Eagle Way galloped yesterday (Thursday, 1 February) and Tommy (Berry) said it’s the fittest he’s ever been,” the trainer said at Sha Tin on Friday morning (2 February). “He came back and said this horse is really cherry ripe, he’s over any of his problems. But this is a handicap and Rivet and Ruthven carry the minimum weight, so he’s up there to be beaten, really – and so are a few others!
“From a handicap point of view, Eagle Way will need all the favours with 131lb on his back, especially against the younger horses. He may be the fittest horse but the others are on the way up, and I expect that they will be seen as legitimate Derby horses after Sunday’s race.”
Last start, Rivet (fifth) and Ruthven (seventh) finished behind Nothingilikemore in the first leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series, the Hong Kong Classic Mile and both are likely starters in the second leg, the Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m), in two weeks’ time. Ruthven led the Classic Mile at brisk fractions while Rivet sat beyond midfield, but Moore envisages a different pattern this time, with Derek Leung on Ruthven and Karis Teetan on Rivet.
“Ruthven, you just have to forget the last run. He just went too quick, the sectionals didn’t help his chances,” he said. “Rivet has been getting better with every run, so hopefully he’s able to continue progressing mentally – he’s still a colt and that might be a problem. The way he’s been hitting the line the last two races, though, gives us hope that he might be closing off very strongly with no weight on his back.
“I think last start taught us that Ruthven likes to come from off the speed, so I think Ruthven and Rivet will go back here. I just hope there are some other horses that will go on and set the pace – I think Horse Of Fortune will go forward along with Dinozzo, and don’t forget about Eagle Way either. He’s got a weight that means he can’t be conceding too much ground, so he will probably be in the first three this time around.”