Hong Kong, China’s Sing Dragon has finished back in the field in Saturday night’s (28 February) G3 Mahab Al Shimaal (1200m) on the Dubai dirt at Meydan Racecourse’s Super Saturday fixture in the United Arab Emirates.

After bursting out of gate one and leading for the first half of the race under star Mauritian jockey Karis Teetan, Sing Dragon faded and crossed the line in eighth, 13 lengths behind winner El Nasseeb, who clocked 1m 11.31s ahead of Dark Saffron (second) and Mufasa (third).

“I would not say it was disappointing but unfortunately the horse was not good enough for the surface,” said trainer Chris So.

“Karis said that after 500m he felt the horse was not comfortable on the surface. Sing Dragon always goes forward and I think the tactics were right.

“I don’t think it was a problem with the horse or the jockey. It was just the surface, which we all knew was not going to be easy. The Hong Kong dirt surface is faster, and Dubai is quite deep and loose. Unfortunately, we found out the hard way.”

Sing Dragon was having both his first start for So and his first start overseas as a Hong Kong-trained horse.

The versatile galloper, who has raced on every Hong Kong surface this season for a win over the extended Sha Tin dirt mile, a dirt track 1200m second, a Happy Valley seventh over 1650m and a Sha Tin turf 1200m 10th, will return home and be prepared for the rest of the season.

While Teetan was riding in Dubai for the first time, So was saddling up his third runner and is still on the hunt for his first placing in the city after also falling short with Fabulous One and Classic Emperor.