Got a great chance!
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Artiste Royal out, Sir Slick iffy (whew!)
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Hong Kong Monday trackwork 20 Apr 2009
Hong Kong Jockey Club
Audemars Piguet QE II Cup, Champions Mile 2009 - Tracknotes, Mon, 20 April
The Hawkes trained Dao Dao at trackwork at Sha Tin on Monday, picture Hong Kong Jockey Club.
Michael Hawkes, co-trainer of the Champions Mile contender Dao Dao, confirmed this morning that Weichong Marwing will ride the gelding in Sunday's feature.
'We're happy to have him on board,' Hawkes said, 'He has the experience here in Hong Kong and he'll suit the horse.'
Darren Beadman, who rides regularly for the Hawkes team in Australia, was aboard Dao Dao when the horse won at Rosehill on 4 April but he is committed to the John Moore trained Mercedes-Benz HK Derby winner Collection this weekend.
Dao Dao and fellow Australian Niconero both had leisurely workouts on the all weather track this morning and continued to please their respective camps.
'The horse has done well. It's great to be here with a horse you know is genuinely competitive. We're here to work, not for a holiday. The horse has been here before which is a real plus and we expect him to be right in it but we're very mindful of the strength of the opposition,' Hawkes said.
Hawkes, who trains in partnership with his father John and brother Wayne, said he was 'looking forward' to Sunday's race which will be only the second time the stable has run a horse overseas. The first was Yell who was unplaced in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint in 2004.
Lizzie Jelfs, looking after Niconero, reported that she had a 'happy horse' on her hands after riding him this morning. 'He's come on well in the past couple of days,' said Jelfs who supervised the gelding's lead-up work in Dubai last month, when he finished fourth in the Dubai Duty Free.
Defending AP QE II Cup champion Archipenko put in some routine slow work around the all weather training track accompanied by Imbongi, who will be trying to complete a memorable double for star South African trainer Mike de Kock in the Champions Mile.
Kevin Shea, who jetted into Hong Kong last Thursday on his 46th birthday, was on board Archipenko who blitzed his rivals by 1 ¾ lengths last year. The five-year-old star has had a stellar career since joining De Kock and Shea is confident that Archipenko can put behind him that sole below-par run – when sixth behind Gladiatorus in last month's Dubai Duty Free – on Sunday. "He certainly felt good this morning, and I think we can expect something good on Sunday."
French challenger Chinchon was led out for a school in the paddock by Stephane Duprey, long time travelling head lad to Carlos Laffon-Parias, who trains the horse at Chantilly. No stranger to Hong Kong, Duprey was at Sha Tin twice last year when he looked after the stable's Balius, who was runner up in both the AP QE II Cup and CX Hong Kong Cup.
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Retired... Flying Kenny, Sparkle and Sounds Best.
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Green Birdie will NOT go to Singapore (thank God)...
Brett (applause
) gets the Sacred Kingdom mount (!!!) for the next 2 starts (Sprint Cup on May 1st, Krisflyer in Singapore on May 17th).
"I rode him in a gallop on Saturday morning and he went quite nicely, though he's apparently never much of a track worker."
"He reminds me a bit of Absolute Champion 
that way, a very conservative horse on the track and saves himself up for race day."
~ Brett Prebble on Sacred Kingdom