UPI Horse Racing Roundup – December 15, 2014
December 15th, 2014By ROBERT KIECKHEFER
UPI Racing Writer
Flintshire was the only foreign winner as Hong Kong dominated its biggest day of racing while, in America, a few more juveniles made their presence known in weekend preps for next year’s Kentucky Derby and Oaks.
With winter settling in, Hong Kong was the focus as the Longines Hong Kong International Races were run before 74,070 fans in perfect weather over the “good to firm” turf course at Sha Tin in Hong Kong’s New Territories.
Longines Hong Kong Vase
Flintshire, second in both the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and the Breeders’ Cup Turf, finally got home first in the Longines Hong Kong Vase. With Maxime Guyon up, the 4-year-old Dansili colt overcame a very slow pace, shot to the lead at mid-stretch and held off local runner Willie Cazals to win by 1/2 length. The dawdling pacesetter Khayla, and last year’s winner, Dominant, completed a second-through-fourth sweep for the home team. None of the other foreign starters had much impact. Red Cadeaux, needing a quicker pace, finished sixth. Snow Sky lacked a kick in the lane and finished seventh. And German’s Empoli lost all chance when he reared at the break, raced last and finished eighth.
“The pace was a little slow but I know my horse,” Guyon said.
Flintshire, trained by Andre Fabre, scored his first win since the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris last July. Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager for winner owner/breeder Khalid Abdulla, said the win was “really important and very very thrilling. Grimthorpe said Flintshire will stay in training for his 5-year-old season, “probably another international campaign.”
Flintshire, out of the Saddler’s Wells mare Dance Routine, collected the winner’s share, HK$10.5 million, of a HK$16.5 million purse, or about US$1.6 million of US$2.12 million.
Longines Hong Kong Sprint
Aerovelocity returned the Longines Hong Kong Sprint title to the local team with a tough win over local rival Peniaphobia. The previous two runnings of the Sprint went to the now-retired Japanese star Lord Kanaloa. This year, the Japanese team could do no better than third, with Straight Girl, while Irish runner Gordon Lord Byron finished fourth. which for many years dominated this race. Aerovelocity seized the early lead in the Sprint and never let up, finishing in 1:08.57 with Zac Purton in the irons.
“About the furlong, marker, he wanted to hang back and on the fence,” Purton said. “I had to keep after him.” Purton said the dash to the lead wasn’t exactly planned. “But when the opportunity is there, you have to take it.”
Aerovelocity finished last of 14 in the local prep for this event, losing all chance when badly impeded in the stretch run The 6-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding by Pins now has seven wins from his last nine starts.
“If he continues in this strain of form,” said winning trainer Paul O’Sullivan, “there is a possibility he could run elsewhere.” He mentioned Singapore as a possible target. But, he added, “to be honest, I haven’t looked any further than today.”
The Sprint is worth HK$18.5 million, or about US$2.4 million.
Longines Hong Kong Mile
Able Friend, in the day’s most impressive showing, shot by pacesetting Gold-Fun in the final 100 meters in the Longines Hong Kong Mile (HK-I) and won by 4 1/4 lengths over that rival with jockey Joao Moreira celebrating well before the wire. Japan’s Grand Prix Boss and World Ace finished third and fourth in the best showing by the foreigners. Trade Storm, third in the Breeders’ Cup Mile in his last start, raced well back and finished seventh. Long-time local favorite Ambitious Dragon was withdrawn hours before the race with lameness. Able Friend, a 5-year-old, Australian-bred Shamardal gelding, ran well back in the pack early in the Mile as Gold-Fun set a lively pace. At the top of the lane, it appeared Able Friend might be blocked but, once he got room, he quickly shot to the front and won easily, finishing in 1:33.49. Gold-Fun settled for second for the second straight year.
“I wasn’t worried,” Moreira said of the traffic issues. “I knew what I was doing and I have a lot of faith in the horse. I knew I was always going to get a run. He’s such a big horse and he can always push someone out.”
Able Friend came into Sunday’s race off an almost equally dominating win in the local prep race. He had been consistently first or second throughout the season in top races and finished second only to South African superstar Variety Club in the Champions Mile (HK-I) in May.
“I think I’ve got one of the best milers on the planet,” said winning trainer John Moore. Moore said Able Friend will point to the Stewards Cup (HK-I) in January. “Then I’ll do my best to convince the owners on the (Dubai) Duty Free (UAE-I). But that might be a long lunch and a lot of alcohol,” he laughed.
Longines Hong Kong Cup
Designs On Rome, the heavy favorite, and longtime local rival Military Attack rallied from the back of the field to duel for the wire in the Longines Hong Kong Cup with Designs On Rome prevailing by just a short head. Australian Derby winner Criterion finished third and the French veteran Cirrus Des Aigles was narrowly back in fourth. Designs On Rome, with Moreira scoring his second straight Group 1 win, got 2,000 meters in 2:01.96 and trainer Moore, also winning two in a row, said the owner, Cheng Keung Fai, “is keen” to take the horse to the Dubai Sheema Classic (UAE-I) in the spring. The 4-year-old gelding by Holy Roman Emperor won three of four major races at Sha Tin last year and earlier in 2014 but had trouble in his first two starts of the fall season, finishing fifth in his last start. Moreira, who rode in the last two losses, said he used those experiences “from which we could put it all together.” Cirrus Des Aigles was making his fifth start in the Hong Kong International Races despite an episode of lameness just before race day. While he ran well, he was unable to improve on his previous best performance, a third-place finish in last year’s Cup. He is expected to continue his travels in Dubai as a 9-year-old.
Elsewhere:
2-year-old fillies
Take Charge Brandi certainly cemented a divisional championship with a gritty, front-running victory in Saturday’s $350,000, Grade I Starlet at Los Alamitos — just as trainer D. Wayne Lukas planned. But it wasn’t easy as the Giant’s Causeway filly was all out to hold the lead at the wire, finishing 1/2 length ahead of a game Feathered and just another neck better than the promising Maybelline. With Victor Espinoza up, Take Charge Brandi finished 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in a good 1:42.18. The win backed up her shocking victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and an intervening triumph in the Grade III Delta Downs Princess.
“The whole purpose of coming here was to take the doubt out of it,” Lukas said of Take Charge Brandi’s Eclipse Award chances. The filly showed less than championship stuff in five starts before the Breeders’ Cup and Lukas felt she needed to show consistent form at the end of the season. “It’s completely changed her since we decided just to leave her alone and let her run her race,” he said. “We tried to get too cute with her during the summer and finally I woke up and said, ‘I’ll just leave her alone.’ We made that decision and it’s worked.”
Zooming got by pacesetter Perfect Fit in deep stretch to take Sunday’s $100,000 Trapeze Stakes at Remington Park by 1 length. Sweet Opportunity was third and the favorite, Lovely Maria, finished fourth. Zooming, with Lindey Wade in the irons, ran 1 mile on a muddy track in 1:38.22. She now has three straight wins for trainer Bret Calhoun.
2-year-olds
Bayerd raced second, well off the early leader, in Sunday’s $250,000 Remington Springboard Mile at Remington Park, took over with a sixteenth to run and held off the favorite, Shotgun Kowboy, at the wire to win by a head. High Noon Rider challenged but faded late to finish third. Bayerd, a Speightstown colt, ran 1 mile on a muddy track in 1:37.26 with Ramon Vazquez up for Steve Asmussen. The colt broke his maiden at Saratoga in August and subsequently won the Kip Deville Stakes at Remington.
Acceptance tracked the pace down the backstretch in Sunday’s $200,000 King Glorious Stakes at Los Alamitos, moved up around the turn and challenged for the lead at the top of the lane, then went on to win by 3 lengths. Pulmarack was second with Kluszewski third. Acceptance, a Vronsky colt, ran 1 mile on a fast track in 1:35.81 with Elvis Trujillo up for trainer Donald Warren. He now is 3-for-3, including a win in the Golden State Juvenile at Santa Anita last month.
Aqueduct
Micromanage got going late in Saturday’s $100,000 Queens County Stakes at Aqueduct, circled five-wide into the stretch and kicked clear late to win by 1 1/2 lengths. Vyjack and Misconduct also did their best running late, only to finish second and third. Micromanage, a 4-year-old colt by Medaglia d’Oro, ran 9 furlongs on the fast inner track in 1:51.76 with Manuel Franco in the irons. Micromanage and Misconduct, both trained by Todd Pletcher, ran coupled and Stormin Monarcho completed the trifecta, finishing fourth. Micromanage enjoyed the switch back to dirt after a tough fall. He finished third in the Grade III Greenwood Cup Stakes at Parx Racing in September, failed to complete the course in the Group 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on the main track at Belmont, followed by a third in the Bowl Game Stakes and a 10th-place showing in the Grade III Red Smith Handicap at Aqueduct four weeks ago.
“He’s been training great,” said Pletcher assistant Byron Hughes, ” and he’s been a solid horse for us, especially getting back on the dirt. He seems to like this inner track, though, so we’ll see what happens.”
Gulfstream Park
Merry Meadow surged to the lead in the final sixteenth to post a minor upset in Saturday’s $100,000, Grade III Sugar Swirl Stakes for fillies and mares. Wildcat Lily led briefly but succumbed after jockey Paco Lopez lost his whip and finished second. Ole Donyo finished third and the favorite, R Free Roll, faded late and finished fourth. Merry Meadow, a 4-year-old Henny Hughes filly, ran 6 furlongs on a fast track in 1:10.29 with Javier Castellano up. She has been an incredibly consistent runner, hitting the board in 22 of 25 starts before Saturday’s win.
Mshawish blew by pacesetting Excaper at mid-stretch in Saturday’s $100,000 El Prado Stakes and edged away to win by 2 lengths over that rival. Vinny Goodtimes came from last of nine to finish third at trifecta-inflating odds. Mshawish, a 4-year-old Medaglia d’Oro colt, ran 7 1/2 furlongs on firm turf in 1:28.50 with Castellano riding. Todd Pletcher trains the colt for Al Shaqab Racing.
John Velazquez mapped out a perfect trip for Liam’s Map in Saturday’s $100,000 Harlan’s Holiday Stakes, stalking the early speed before going to duel his way to a 1/2-length victory over Valid. Pants On Fire was third, 5 1/4 lengths farther in arrears. Liam’s Map, a 3-year-old Unbridled’s Song colt, covered 1 1/16 miles on the main track in 1:42.51.
Marbre Rose rallied to the lead four-wide late in Saturday’s $100,000 South Beach Stakes for fillies and mares and held off a late cavalry charge to win by 1/2 length. It was a nose back to Kitty Wire in third, another neck to Red Minx in fourth, a neck to Ready Signal in fifth and a neck to Skylander Girl in sixth. The favorite, Sassy Kitten, finished last of 13. Marbre Rose, a 3-year-old, Irish-bred filly by Smart Strike, ran 7 1/2 furlongs on the green course in 1:28.90 for jockey Luis Saez.
Remington Park
Honey’s Ryan led all the way to a 1 3/4-lengths victory over Diva’s Diamond in Sunday’s $100,000 She’s All In Stakes for fillies and mares. Blue Violet finished third and the favorite, Flashy American, was ninth of 11. Honey’s Ryan, a 3-year-old Student Council filly, ran 1 mile and 70 yards on a muddy track in 1:41.09 with Cliff Berry up.
England
With the Tapeta track at Meydan only a memory, Godolphin Racing has been fattening up in the All-Weather Championship Fast-Track Qualifier races in England. Hidden Gold provided Godolphin with its fourth qualifier for the Good Friday championships while winning Saturday’s 32Red Conditions Stakes at 2 miles at Wolverhampton. She qualified for the Marathon on championship day while remaining undefeated in three starts over all-weather courses.
“She can be a bit on and off,” said winning rider Graham Lee. “But when this filly comes good, she is good.”
Hidden Gold is by Shamardal out of a half-sister to Galileo and Sea the Stars.
