FWD QEII Cup

FURORE – HK
Trainer Frankie Lor said: “He trialled last week and the trial was good. This race, he has to face the older horses but his form is good, so we’ll see.”

GLORIOUS FOREVER – HK
Trainer Frankie Lor said: “He’s had three trials and he looks good. It all depends on the draw; if he draws well, he’ll go in front but with a bad draw maybe he’ll have to take a sit behind a horse and go to sleep.”

PAKISTAN STAR – HK
Trainer Paul O’Sullivan said: “I just hope he can back up his form from a couple of weeks ago (in the Chairman’s Trophy). He’s down in weight a little bit, which I think is a good thing. We’ll just see which Pakistan Star turns up.”

WIN BRIGHT – JPN
Cantered two easy laps on the all-weather track.
His regular jockey Masami Matsuoka was at Sha Tin this morning to observe the work before galloping the grey tomorrow (Wednesday) and said: “He looked well. I was a bit worried about the humidity here because he likes racing in the cooler part of the year but he has settled in well. He is versatile when it comes to tactics and he will cope with any pace. The FWD QEII has been his big target since last year. The LONGINES Hong Kong International Races was in our plan as well, but his condition at that time was not good enough so the trip was off. I am looking forward to racing here.”

FWD Champions Mile

CONTE – HK
Trainer John Size said: “He’s been ok, he had a good break and a little bit of time off between runs before his last start, so he probably lacked a little bit of race condition, but now he’s three weeks between runs and he’s continued to train well, I’m hoping he can get some prize money in the Champions Mile.”

SIMPLY BRILLIANT – HK
Trainer Frankie Lor said: “Last time, Silvestre de Sousa said he thought the horse needed a little change so this time I have taken the hood off and he’s a little bit fresh. Oisin Murphy is riding him this time. We’re hoping to get some prize money.”

Chairman’s Sprint Prize

MR STUNNING – HK
Trainer Frankie Lor said: “He’s at the same level as before the Hong Kong Sprint. Last time he hadn’t had a race for two months and just trialled two times and then, for me it was still a good run, but the pace didn’t work for him. We thought Manfred Man’s horse, Handsome Bo Bo, would lead but he jumped slowly, that’s why Mr Stunning had to lead. The last 800 metres was very fast.”

NAC VENUS – JPN
Worked easily for one lap on the all-weather track.
Travelling head lad Tomoki Nagai said: “The humidity in Hong Kong has been to our expectations but the quarantine barn is very nice and comfortable with the air conditioning, which keeps her in good condition. She had to wait for a long time in the trotting ring before her work, which upset our training plans and we had to change to Plan B.  She will have a breeze tomorrow.”

RATTAN – HK
Jockey Chad Schofield said: “I rode him yesterday on the grass. He had a very light gallop and felt really good. He’s come through his win very nicely and taken no harm from it. He recovered really well, he’s fresh and in good order at the moment. I’m hoping for a good draw and I’m sure the horse is going to come and run a good race again.”

VIDDORA – AUS
Trainer Lloyd Kennewell said: “She looks good. They’ve got air-conditioned boxes here so it’s a bit different to home and her coat was a little bit stuck-up overnight but I found she was better when she came out here with a bit of sun on her back this morning, her coat looks good. She loves travel. She’s a pretty ‘cruisey’ horse.

“Paddy (Bell) has looked after her well so we’ll push on. She’ll have a gallop, more than likely tomorrow. We’ll just have a look at her this afternoon and tomorrow morning and work out whether we gallop her tomorrow morning or Thursday.

“She’s in good order. She’s a bit older so you’ve just got to take that into account but she’s pretty happy. She’s one of those horses who travels well and we’re looking forward to it. If she runs well here then she can push on to Royal Ascot possibly.”

As to her record racing right-handed, Kennewell said: “She’s raced in Queensland and had three runs up there for a win and two seconds and arguably should have won nearly all of them. She only needed one more hop at her first start at Eagle Farm, on the first day the track was re-opened and they ran a track record and she got beaten narrowly.”