The barrier draws for the three Group 1 features that constitute Champions Day (Sunday, 29 April) – the Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2000m), the Champions Mile (1600m) and the Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) – were conducted at Sha Tin Racecourse today (Thursday, 26 April).
Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup
Trainer Tony Cruz indicated that Pakistan Star could be ridden further forward after drawing the inside gate in the eight-horse field for the HK$24m Audemars Piguet QEII Cup. Cruz also saddles Time Warp (gate seven) and Gold Mount (eight).
“Pakistan Star is drawn one, so he’ll be stuck in behind them and I hope he doesn’t get stuck coming into the straight,” Cruz said. “I hope he gets a run. We won’t plan to take him back, he’ll sit where he breaks. As we saw in the barrier trial, he showed speed to be up there – he jumped away well.
“Time Warp will go to the front no matter what, so the draw doesn’t really make much of a difference. Gold Mount’s the opposite – he will go to the back so being out wide doesn’t really matter.”
BMW Hong Kong Derby winner Ping Hai Star came up with gate three, but trainer John Size doesn’t envisage any changes to the tactics that saw the four-year-old sprint from last to first to win the classic.
“He’s not the best to begin anyway,” Size said. “When he won the Derby, he just went to sleep, so we’ll probably be trying to replicate that.”
Japanese raiders Danburite and Al Ain drew alongside one another and will jump from barriers five and six respectively.
“It is a good draw,” said Al Ain’s trainer Yasutoshi Ikee, while Shinichiro Kobayashi, assistant to Danburite’s trainer Hidetaka Otonashi, said: “It’s neither good nor bad, but he should get into a rhythm with horses either side of him”.
The Siu Pak Kwan-owned Eagle Way (gate two) and Dinozzo (four) complete the line-up.
The Audemars Piguet QEII Cup is race eight of 10 at Sha Tin on Sunday and is scheduled to jump at 4.40pm.
Champions Mile
The HK$18m Champions Mile field was reduced to eight runners moments before the draw as last year’s third Helene Paragon was withdrawn due to veterinary advice.
However, Helene Paragon’s trainer John Moore had reason to smile shortly afterwards when G1 Hong Kong Mile winner Beauty Generation drew the rail.
“I said to Patrick (Kwok, owner), I wanted gate one,” Moore said. “That’s all I wanted. He can jump out and lead and it just depends whether something wants to apply pressure, like Pingwu Spark. I think that would be to their detriment though.”
Patrick Kwok also owns Beauty Only, in partnership with his mother Eleanor. The Cruz-trained galloper, second in this race last year, will jump from gate three, but the handler suggested that he will not change tact with the seven-year-old.
“Beauty Only needs pace – the faster the better – so he’ll definitely be out the back door ready for a big run in the straight,” said Cruz.
Likely race favourite Seasons Bloom will jump from gate five for trainer Danny Shum, while jockey Sam Clipperton declared that barrier six was no concern for Hong Kong Mile runner-up Western Express.
“Western Express is probably not disadvantaged in six,” he said. “He’s not a horse with a lot of speed anyway. If we’re in front of one or two, that’s fine; it’s not a big field so we’ll be three or four lengths off them on straightening, hopefully.”
Hong Kong Classic Cup winner Singapore Sling has drawn the outside in gate eight, while Blizzard (gate two), Southern Legend (four) and Pingwu Spark (seven) complete the field.
The Champions Mile is the first of the G1 features, scheduled as race six at 3.20pm.
Chairman’s Sprint Prize
Size holds the aces in the HK$16m Chairman’s Sprint Prize with five of the nine runners. Hong Kong’s nine-time champion trainer had a mixed result at the draw.
Last-start G2 Sprint Cup quinella Beat The Clock and Mr Stunning drew gates one and three respectively, while Ivictory (seven), Amazing Kids (eight) and Thewizardofoz (nine) fill the outside three gates.
“I think Ivictory should be able to cross from gate seven, Peniaphobia is his main speed rival in two and Ivictory might just have more speed than him,” Size said. “Beat The Clock is on the inside so he’ll probably need to relax a little bit, midfield on the fence, and we’ll try to resist the temptation to push him along. He can pull out a fast final sectional so we’ll give him the chance to finish off.
“I think Mr Stunning will be third in the run from three, he jumps fast and then you relax him. He actually can run from anywhere but you don’t want to be too far back in case you run into trouble. He normally gets the run of the race though.”
Godolphin will be represented by two gallopers from different sides of the world. Japanese galloper Fine Needle drew best of the duo in gate four, while English sprinter Blue Point – officially representing the United Arab Emirates – came up with barrier six.
“I was hoping for a draw anywhere in the first half, so number four is a good gate for us,” Fine Needle’s trainer Yoshitada Takahashi said.
“It could have been worse, it’s not a big field, there are only nine runners,” said Sophie Chretien, assistant to Blue Point’s trainer Charlie Appleby. “I didn’t want to be in one or two and I didn’t want to be eight or nine, so I’m happy. I think he’ll settle just in behind the speed.
“I’m not too worried, it should be fine. This morning he went for a little stretch on the grass, only at half-speed, but that introduced him to the turn here at Sha Tin. He should be fine.”
Last year’s winner Lucky Bubbles joins the fray, too, with the Francis Lui-trained galloper to launch his defence from gate five.
The Chairman’s Sprint Prize is programmed as race seven and is set to jump at 4pm.
