Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup
 

Updates, etc.

From the South China Morning Post.....
Gonna be a great race!

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Admire Moon ready to take on Vengeance in clash of champions
MURRAY BELL

Japanese galloper Admire Moon, brilliant winner of the US$5 million Dubai Duty Free on Saturday night, will arrive in Hong Kong today to begin preparations for the HK$14 million Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Sha Tin on April 29.
In what will be a promotional and marketing bonanza for the Jockey Club, Admire Moon will run head-to-head with Vengeance Of Rain in the international Group One race over 2,000 metres - a race Vengeance won two years ago as a four-year-old.

Connections of Admire Moon are not even waiting for invitations to be issued next week, making the reasonable assumption that the last-start winner of the world's equal-richest race on turf would get a guernsey.

"This is tremendous news, with the winners of the two big turf races in Dubai, Admire Moon and Vengeance Of Rain, clashing [here] at 2,000 metres," said the Jockey Club's international racing manager, Mark Player.

Admire Moon and Vengeance Of Rain have already clashed once, running second and third respectively behind champion French mare Pride in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup on December 10, a result that was far from conclusive because Vengeance had so little luck in running.

With a US$1 million bonus available to Admire Moon if he won the HK$8 million Champions Mile on the same day, one might have thought that would sway his owners into going for the shorter race.

"I discussed that with them but they are definitely targeting the QE II," Player confirmed.

The other news out of Dubai is that Bullish Luck, third to Invasor in the Dubai World Cup at 2,000 metres, will not defend his Champions Mile crown. "Tony Cruz told me he'll also be concentrating on the QE II with Bullish Luck," Player said. "After all, he does have a top Champions Mile candidate already in Floral Pegasus."

Linngari, a valiant runner-up to Admire Moon in Dubai, will make his second trip to Hong Kong for the Champions Mile. Linngari finished fifth, beaten by only 2 1/4 lengths, behind The Duke and Armada in the Hong Kong Mile, after starting from barrier 13. He was even more impressive in Dubai, being forced to go back in the field from barrier 16 and hoping luck would break his way.

Ultimately, Linngari (Kevin Shea) charged home late to get within a half length of Admire Moon.


"This is the best horse I've ridden next to Ipi Tombe," Shea said, referring to the champion South African filly on which he won the Dubai Duty Free in 2003 by three lengths.

Trainer Herman Brown concurred: "It was a game run and we are thrilled with his effort. Such a pity he couldn't get up on the line. From that draw it was a great performance."

Linngari's stablemate, Sushisan, is also being aimed at the QE II. Sushisan finished three lengths from Vengeance Of Rain when fifth in the Sheema Classic and had the worst of the luck. "The German horse [Quijano] took about five of us out just after the start. Then we encountered problems all the way from there."


Trainer Mike de Kock, winner of last year's QE II with Irridescence, will definitely be back but has asked for a few more days to finalise his Hong Kong team. "Mike has five or six horses he could potentially bring, including Irridescence, but he wants to give them a few days to see how they've come through their races on the weekend," Player said.

This race always seems to be a cracker. Admire would be tough to beat though. He has a bit more kick than Vengence!

Admire Mooooooooooooooooooon! :)

Thought you might want to take a look sometime..... I love this kind of stuff!


http://www.cxhkir.com/english/hkir20..._trackwork.asp

Waiting to see which other locals are pointed but yeah, ALWAYS a great one!

Thanks! I'll take a look when I get home tonight. :)

Thirlled O'Sullivan decided to enter Best Gift.....

http://racing.scmp.com/freeservice/n...s20070414d.asp

Runners.....

http://special.hkjc.com/promo/en/200..._selection.asp

Aqua D'amore is in the Champions Mile.....

Is she gonna sit down again? :D

Mullins Bay is injured and out(... happened yesterday morning, poor thing), Oracle West is in.

It will be announced tomorrow that the French will withdraw their runners...

Thank you My Miss Magic Eight Ball. :D

SCMP.....

Thursday, April 19, 2007

French pair throw in the towel before race
ALAN AITKEN

The Group One Champions Mile on Sunday week has been hit early after two French trainers decided the opposition was too strong. Freddy Head-trained Racinger and Francois Rohault's Turtle Bowl were withdrawn from the third Asian Mile Challenge series leg yesterday.
The pair had quinellaed the Group Three Prix Edmond Blanc over a mile on heavy ground at Saint-Cloud 17 days ago at their first outings for the new European flat season, but their trainers were daunted by the much tougher task at Sha Tin.

"They said they'd looked at the depth of the race and decided it was too strong for them to be taking on so early in the season," said Jockey Club international racing manager Mark Player. "It would have been nice to have a French flavour but it isn't easy to get the Europeans here at this stage of the year.

"There don't seem to be any appropriate replacements available for them, so we'll run the Champions Mile with a field of 12 rather than trying to fill it for the sake of filling it."

Player said he had made a last-ditch attempt to enrol Kenji Yamauchi-trained Japanese miler Kongo Rikishio following his win in the Group Two Yomiuri Miles Cup at Hanshin last Saturday but to no avail.

"Before the selections, they were very keen to bring the horse for the Champions Mile but his rating didn't quite get him into the field," Player said. "After he won at Hanshin and his rating was raised, he would have been a welcome addition, but it was all too late."

Barrier rogue and diva Ms. Aqua has been retired. :(

Aqua no more
By Mandy Cottell
April 20, 2007 GROUP I-winning racemare Aqua d'Amore has been retired after failing to pass a barrier test at Randwick today.

The quirky mare needed to show stewards she had overcome her habit of sitting down in the starting stalls in order to be cleared to race in the Champion Mile in Hong Kong on Sunday week.

But she reverted to type and stewards had no option but to maintain the bar on her racing.

"Obviously the owners are disappointed, Hong Kong are disappointed and we're disappointed," Racing New South Wales chief steward Ray Murrihy said.

"Hong Kong expressed to us that they didn't want the horse to come all the way across unless she had completed all the requirements, and she obviously hasn't.

"She did sit down so she's been given an unsatisfactory and she's still under a bar."

Aqua d'Amore passed a jumpout at Randwick last Friday and a trial at the venue on Tuesday before failing at the final hurdle today.

Michael Kirwan, representing owners Coolmore Stud, felt the requirements imposed by stewards on Aqua d'Amore were too tough.

"It was probably a bit much I'd say," Kirwan said.

"It seems silly for a mare to have to trial three times in a week.

"But the stewards were acting in the best interests of racing, and that's how it goes.

"She's retired now,.

"She's finished racing."

Trained by Gai Waterhouse, Aqua d'Amore started 34 times for nine wins, 11 placings and more than $1.9 million prizemoney.

A daughter of the late Danehill, she recorded her biggest triumph in the Group I Futurity Stakes (1600m) at Caulfield last month.

She was also brilliant last spring without winning, running placings in the Caulfield Cup, Mackinnon and Turnbull Stakes as well as finishing fourth in the W.S. Cox Plate.

"She was a top-class mare and a fun mare," Kirwan said.

"She was a real trier and she never ran a bad race.

"She's going to be missed.

"She was quite popular given her antics, but she's off to stud this season and she'll be served by Encosta De Lago."

The retirement of Aqua d'Amore means the Anthony Cummings-trained Casino Prince will be Australia's sole representative at the Hong Kong meeting on April 29.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...-32343,00.html

Down Town ruled out of the Champions Mile.....

Nne left in the Champions Mile..... Green Treasure was ruled out.

Doleuze takes the Good Ba Ba mount. Wonder who will ride The Duke.....

Trackwork photos.....

http://www.hkjc.com/english/news/news_2007042315825.htm

May I say...


....no postage due on that one?





Your work here is to die for.

And may I also comment that...





...oh I think enough is enough.

:D

Must.....

..... get.....

..... someone.....

..... to.....

..... translate!:p

* * *

Uh oh..... are you here Gallant? See this (*****) part...

South China Morning Post.....
Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Kinane wins two-horse race to ride Ho's Viva Pataca in QE II Cup
MURRAY BELL

Stanley Ho Hung-sun has finally made his call, choosing Irish champion Michael Kinane in front of Australian maestro Darren Beadman as the rider for Viva Pataca in Sunday's HK$14 million Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup.
Trainer John Moore originally put three names before the Macau casino mogul but the elite shortlist was reduced to two when Aussie Damien Oliver was handed a long suspension by stewards after the Sydney Cup meeting 10 days ago.

It was Kinane's first-hand experience with Viva Pataca that swayed Ho, according to Moore, with the Irishman having piloted Viva Pataca twice - for a win in the Champions & Chater Cup last season and a close second to Vengeance Of Rain in the Hong Kong Gold Cup in February.

Beadman will now swing on to stablemate Viva Macau, the high-priced four-year-old Ho purchased late last year from the Aga Khan.


"Darren will also be riding Joyful Winner in the Champions Mile, and Mick will be on Able One in that race," Moore added. "Darren will also have three or four other rides for me on the day in the minor races."

Olivier Doleuze has been forced to make the biggest call of the season, having the choice of Hong Kong Mile hero The Duke and rising star Good Ba Ba as his mount in the Champions Mile.

After a lot of soul searching, Doleuze turned his back on The Duke (***** are you mad yet? ) , who gave him his first Hong Kong Group One in December in that memorable victory over Armada, in favour of the younger horse.

Trainer Caspar Fownes, after consulting owner Eddie Yau Jnr, said he would fly in Dwayne Dunn from Australia to partner The Duke.

"I know Olivier had a tough call to make but there are no hard feelings," Fownes said. "Dwayne knows the horse well and he's a real big-race specialist - he's won a stack of Group Ones in Australia over the past year or so, so we won't lose anything there."

Dunn also handled The Duke in Japan last year when the gelding was understudy to Bullish Luck and Joyful Winner in Hong Kong's three-pronged assault on the Yasuda Kinen.

Tony Cruz declared his two Champions Mile candidates, Bullish Luck and Floral Pegasus, to be at their best after they came through their penultimate gallops brilliantly on Sunday morning.

"They will have their final gallop on Thursday morning, but I'm very happy with both of them," Cruz summed up.

Australian three-year-old Casino Prince was the last of the international horses to arrive yesterday, making a total of seven visitors for the weekend's two Group One features.
http://racing.scmp.com/freeservice/n...s20070424b.asp

Is it really?

Are you sure?

Shall we ponder? :p

Casino Prince arrives sans Aqua...

http://www.hkjc.com/english/news/news_2007042415838.htm

Tuesday trackwork...

http://www.hkjc.com/english/news/news_2007042415842.htm

The Duke's record..... kindly note the one time Dunn had the mount. Hmmm.....

http://www.hkjc.com/english/racing/h...p?HorseNo=B282