SCMP...
Friday, December 10, 2010
Beadman jumps ship
as Moore duo under cloud
Alan Aitken
John Moore's retained jockey, Darren Beadman, yesterday abandoned 2009 Hong Kong Sprint runner-up One World and switched to unheralded Let Me Fight after an injury cloud appeared over the prospects of both One World and star miler Able One ahead of Sunday's internationals.
One World was regarded as Moore's best chance to win the Sprint, after beating all bar Sacred Kingdom last year and coming into the race as a last-start dead-heat winner of the Jockey Club Sprint.
Along with French Vase runner Board Meeting, the strongly fancied Moore horses are under constant monitoring by the Jockey Club's veterinary department but are expected to run.
Able One, the leading Hong Kong Mile chance expected to challenge Paco Boy for favouritism, became cast in his box earlier in the week and has an abrasion to his left eye, but One World's problems are more significant, with the infection in a capped off-fore elbow spreading down his leg and requiring antibiotics.
"One World developed the problem two or three days ago. The infection spread and we had to open it up on Wednesday and drain it," Moore said. "The antibiotics did put him in doubt at that time, but with all the work that has been done on it and looking at him today, I think he will be OK to run. We had intended to work him on the grass this morning and will do that Friday [today] instead, but Darren is switching to Let Me Fight. We have to have reservations now whether One World will produce his form after what has happened, and especially with having been treated with antibiotics."
Able One was out on the track yesterday, working in pacifiers to protect the eye from sun, wind and any material thrown up by the all-weather training surface. "Darren said he was apprehensive in his work, as he'd never had pacifiers on before, but he went through his paces all right and we don't expect him to be affected on Sunday. He's missed no work."
The Ellie Lellouche-trained stayer Board Meeting was found to have a quarter crack in the off-fore hoof on Wednesday, with some associated infection, but has been comfortable since being reshod with heart-bar plates to relieve the pressure.
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CX HK Sprint - Jockey Douglas Whyte substituted as rider of GREEN BIRDIE
10/12/2010
The Stewards have been advised by Officials from New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing that Jockey Mark du Plessis, the declared rider of GREEN BIRDIE in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint to be conducted on Sunday, 12 December 2010, was today involved in a race fall in New Zealand and accordingly is not fit to fulfil his riding engagement on GREEN BIRDIE.
Accordingly, the Stewards have approved that Jockey Douglas Whyte be substituted as a rider of GREEN BIRDIE.
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Of course no one will actually be showing one of the best days of racing but you can listen here (and the HKJC is fantastic about putting up repolays immediately)...
http://www.hkjc.com/english/press/live.asp
http://www.cxhkir.com/english/hkir2010/main.asp