FWD QEII Cup

Giovanni
Cantered for one lap on the all-weather track.

Trainer Haruki Sugiyama said: “To be honest, I was hoping for an inside draw, but with a small field, it’s not a big concern. It’s his first trip overseas, so we’ll do everything we can to have him in the best possible shape on raceday.”

Royal Champion
The eight-year-old took to the dirt track for the second day in a row, but this time he was given a faster piece of work, clocking 1m 22.6s (32.2, 27.5, 22.9) over 1200m. He pulled hard under his rider and proved difficult to ease down. 

Stable representative Jack Lander said: “He had a canter around and a breeze up the straight. We won’t do much with him tomorrow. We’ll just try and freshen him up.”

FWD Champions Mile
Strauss
Galloped with Joao Moreira in the saddle on the turf track, clocking 1m 22.0s (32.0, 27.4, 22.6) over 1200m.

Trainer Ryo Takei said: “He’s in excellent condition. Joao even said, ‘Not just good, he’s at his best.’ We’ve been using a strong bit to control him and Joao is handling him very well.

“Abu Dhabi was not a main target for him. He was in good condition there, but probably not quite at 100%. This time, however, this race has been the main target, and he’s come here in very good shape.

“In his previous overseas trips, the fields were small, but here in Hong Kong there are plenty of Japanese runners, which has helped him relax and settle into his routine. We had already done the necessary work back in Japan, so I didn’t feel we needed to push him too much here. I told Joao to let him run naturally and only ask him if needed.

“He won his debut on a heavy track, so I don’t think the ground will be an issue this time either. Joao also mentioned that he’s adapting well to the surface here.

“With top-class competition, including Japan’s mile champion Jantar Mantar, it would be a fantastic result if we could win this race.

“(Regarding the draw) I’m leaving that to Joao, so I’m not too concerned. He was a bit on edge when he first arrived, but he’s gradually settled in and is adapting well.”

Chairman’s Sprint Prize

Comanche Brave
Comanche Brave’s travelling head lad Darragh Dwan said: “We are jumping back to six furlongs (1200m) for the first time in a while and we will give it our best shot. He is a very versatile horse.”

Dwan said they would be trying their best against Ka Ying Rising, who has taken the world by storm and looks “a bit of a freak”.

Satono Reve
Satono Reve exercised in the trotting ring in the international stable area and moved to the turf track for a gallop under his regular exercise rider Ryusuke Saito. After warming up in front of the grandstand, he worked from the 1600m mark, clocking 50.0s (25.5, 24.5) over 800m.

Saito said: “He showed an appropriate level of eagerness and was not affected by the heat, maintaining good energy throughout. He moved satisfactorily, as he felt really good all the way to the finish. He changed leads smoothly and his overall balance was at the same level to how he was in Japan. It turned out to be a productive piece of work.”