Group One racing returns to Sha Tin on Sunday, with the elite sprinters in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize and the Derby horses are getting closer to their final target with the running of the Classic Cup.
Tony Cruz-trained Beauty Only was such a comprehensive winner of the Classic Mile, that he will defy all attempts to shift him from favouritism for the 200m longer Classic Cup. Very few horses have been able to win both and no horse has won all the legs of the four-year-old triple crown so Beauty Only has a few historical questions to answer but the extra 200m looks a plus for the former Italian gelding.
Most runners were well beaten by Beauty Only in the Classic Mile, although there will be interest in new contenders like John Size-trained Contentment and the horse who beat him in controversial circumstances last start. Many pundits blamed Nash Rawiller for Contentment’s first racecourse defeat, with the Australian rider seemingly over confident and failing to go for home until Redkirk Warrior headed with him in the straight and Contentment was unable to pull back the margin.
Luger’s reappearance over 1,600m and Got Fly in the 2000m Class Two will also hold Derby interest but the real feature of the day is the sprint Group One.
Hong Kong’s short course runners are preparing for Dubai in March but this is a time-honoured race in itself and will see the rematch of the Hong Kong Sprint quinella, Aerovelocity and Peniaphobia as well as an new addition. Trainer Richard Gibson appears to be looking for ways to avoid meeting Able Friend with Gold-Fun and has switched the gelding back to 1,200m – the shortest race of his entire life, but he has been very effective at 1400m in the past so it is an interesting switch.
By Nathan Mody
