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  #1  
Old 05-10-2008, 03:11 PM
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Default Yasuda Kinen watch.....

Watch out Japan, here come the Raiders (plus one)...

http://japanracing.jp/_news2008/080509.html

Dao Dao withdrawn, info on "retirements".
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  #2  
Old 05-19-2008, 07:45 PM
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The ballad of Good Ba Ba...

http://racing.scmp.com/freeservice/n...s20080519a.asp

* * *

How I spent my weekend, by Bullish Luck...

19/05/2008 Trotting Sha Tin SmT SmT 2 Round - Rev Fast C.H.Tse
18/05/2008 Gallop Sha Tin AWT 30.9 25.8 (56.7) R.B.
18/05/2008 Trotting Sha Tin TroR TroR Canter R.B.
18/05/2008 Swimming
17/05/2008 Trotting Sha Tin SmT SmT 2 Round - Fast K.L.Chui
17/05/2008 Swimming
16/05/2008 Trotting Sha Tin SmT SmT 2 Round - Fast C.H.Tse
16/05/2008 Swimming
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  #3  
Old 05-20-2008, 11:58 PM
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Major Cadeaux is out...
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  #4  
Old 05-26-2008, 09:52 AM
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Probables... Vodka, Super Hornet, Kiss to Heaven, Kongo.
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  #5  
Old 05-27-2008, 07:39 PM
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On the Raiders...

http://japanracing.jp/_news2008/080527.html
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  #6  
Old 05-28-2008, 11:42 PM
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The Raiders depart...

http://www.hkjc.com/english/news/news_2008052819125.htm
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  #7  
Old 05-29-2008, 12:52 AM
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... and arrive!

http://japanracing.jp/_news2008/080528.html

PPs, first nominated horses...

http://japanracing.jp/_news2008/pdf/080529.pdf
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  #8  
Old 05-29-2008, 02:04 PM
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Take on Suzuka P...
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Old 06-02-2008, 04:39 PM
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PPs, first nominated horses...

http://japanracing.jp/_news2008/pdf/080602.pdf

(Other link screwed up).
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  #10  
Old 06-03-2008, 09:59 AM
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Company out (eye injury)...
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  #11  
Old 06-03-2008, 10:44 AM
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HKJC...

Yasuda Kinen 2008 - Trackwork Notes, Tues, 3 June

3 June 2008

The big news on Tuesday morning regarding the trackwork for the Yasuda Kinen 2008 concerned the reported withdrawal of one of the leading Japanese hopes, Company, from the line-up.

An eye injury is said to be behind this significant defection and his possible absence will no doubt strengthen the chances of the Hong Kong runners Good Ba Ba, Armada and Bullish Luck, all of whom travelled to Tokyo Racecourse on Tuesday from their quarantine facilities east of Tokyo. Confirmation of the withdrawal of Company is expected on Thursday when declarations are published.

The three envoys from Sha Tin have reportedly settled in very well in Japan and Bullish Luck had an easy gallop on Monday after a 1000m hit-out on dirt a day earlier to the satisfaction of work rider Cody Mo.

Tokyo has entered the rainy season early this year but the long-term forecast for the remainder of the week seems to point towards a track that should ride no slower than good.

Armada, runner-up in the Champions Mile, was due to perform fast work on Wednesday having completed light laps on Sunday and Monday.

Andreas Schutz, meanwhile, trainer of the leading Hong Kong chance, Good Ba Ba, said his six-year-old star would likely to stick to work on the turf track at Fuchu with breezes slated for Wednesday and Friday morning.

Among the locals, both Suzuka Phoenix and Derby-winning filly Vodka are said to be looking good, improved from their previous starts. Vodka, whose lighter-than-normal bodyweight had been cause for concern, has regained condition in the past week or so.

Elsewhere, trainer Yoshito Yahagi, responsible for perhaps the leading home-based runner Super Hornet, is confident his five-year-old is the one to beat.

"As Japan's number one representative, we want to beat the Hong Kong horses," he trumpeted.

"He has become more muscled and powerful in the past year and he has never been better," Yahagi added of his runner-up in the Mile Championship last November.

Super Hornet's previous inability to weather the haul from Ritto training center to Tokyo is no longer a factor as his solid win in the May 17 Keio Hai Spring Cup at the Fuchu circuit indicates.

Taking no chances, however, Yahagi has kept Super Hornet training at the Miho training center near Tokyo following the Keio. Cutting transport time to a fraction of what it takes from his home base at Ritto is a strategy that can only pay off on race day, the trainer concluded.
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  #12  
Old 06-04-2008, 03:22 PM
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Some nice pictures of the locals...

http://www.hkjc.com/english/news/news_2008060419199.htm

Training report, HK kids...

http://japanracing.jp/_news2008/pdf/080604.pdf

Last edited by my miss storm cat : 06-04-2008 at 08:34 PM.
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  #13  
Old 06-05-2008, 06:23 PM
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Cody Mo?
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  #14  
Old 06-05-2008, 08:57 PM
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Cody!

HKJC...

Racing News


Yasuda Kinen 2008 - Trackwork, Thur, 5 June

5 June 2008

The Hong Kong trio for the Yasuda Kinen worked out nicely at Tokyo Racecourse on Thursday morning to the satisfaction of their respective trainers.

Good Ba Ba performed one and a half laps of cantering on the turf track with rider Sammy Hui on board.

Although the barriers will not be drawn until Friday, trainer Andreas Schutz has already singled out fellow Hong Kong contender Armada and Japanese Derby-winning filly Vodka as the strongest opponents in Sunday's race. "Of course, apart from my horse, all other horses engaged in the race are our rivals. But I would say Vodka will be the serious one, and Armada is also hard to beat as his form is improving," Schutz said.

Trainer John Size rode Armada for one and a half laps of cantering on the dirt track, before schooling him in the paddock at Tokyo Racecourse this morning.

"Though he's exercised on the dirt track today, he still responded well. He's now more accustomed to the environment here and there is nothing negative about him up to this moment," Size said.

Rider Cody Mo gave veteran runner Bullish Luck a hit-out from the barrier, which was followed by a 600-metre gallop.

"Last year, the horse was affected by minor leg injuries. But he is fresher this year as he's just had five gallops, including a barrier trial over 1,000m two weeks before coming to Japan. He's just given 85 percent in his previous run in the Champions Mile, and I'm confident his form will improve further this time in the Yasuda Kinen," his trainer Tony Cruz said.

In addition to highly favourable opinions regarding the three Hong Kong participants, the lion's share of the attention continues to focus on three of Japan's hopefuls for Sunday's Yasuda Kinen, the final leg of the Asian Mile Challenge -- Vodka, Suzuka Phoenix and Super Hornet.

Vodka and Suzuka Phoenix were given their final fast workouts before the race, with Vodka working up the hill course at Ritto. A time of 52.8 seconds up 800 meters of heavy dirt with little urging received acclaim, as did the Derby-winning filly's condition. Carrying good weight again, Vodka looked much improved from her last run in the Victoria Mile, in which she finished second in an all-female field. Paired with new rider Yasunari Iwata, expectations are high that Vodka can show the strength she did last year in her historic Derby run.

Suzuka Phoenix clocked 52.6 seconds over the same hill course, but with strong urging. With a sharp wrap-up furlong under 13 seconds and given the condition of the ground after days of rain, opinions were high. Rider Yutaka Take, off Vodka and staying with Suzuka Phoenix for the Yasuda, acknowledged the "difficulties" of the 6-year-old's recent races. Suzuka Phoenix has failed to make the winner's circle since December, turning in a second and two third-place finishes in his last three starts. "He has the ability and the power," Take said. "And I'm looking forward to giving a Group 1 winner's interview again."
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Old 06-05-2008, 11:31 PM
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The barrier draw...

http://japanracing.jp/_news2008/080606.html

From our friends at SCMP.....


Friday, June 6, 2008

Old warhorse still young enough to shock handler


ALAN AITKEN

He might be nine years old, but it wouldn't seem a top-class mile event in the region without Bullish Luck and he was still young enough to spring a surprise on long-time handler Cody Mo Wai-kit at Fuchu yesterday morning.
The old warhorse tipped Mo off when he unexpectedly leaned down to the track on his way off the course after he completed a 600m test starting from the barriers.

"I think he was tired of his normal food and trying to get a mouthful of real grass," Mo said after the harmless incident and that accords with trainer Tony Cruz's assessment of what Bullish Luck has been about in Tokyo.

"At first, loneliness was a problem but he got used to it - as long as he has his food he is not worried," laughed Cruz. "I'm very happy with him and I liked his work this morning."

The loneliness has come about by quarantine protocols which saw Bullish Luck separated from Armada and Good Ba Ba in the quarantine station and at the racecourse - due to Bullish Luck's participation in Dubai - but, strangely, he was allowed to travel alongside the other horses from Hong Kong to Japan and from the quarantine centre to the racecourse.

Bullish Luck is back for his third Yasuda Kinen after a win two years ago and a fourth the year before that and the only reason he isn't looking for four in a row was injury.

"He was galloped on in Dubai last year and I wasn't able to get him fit to run in the Champions Mile, so he wasn't invited," Cruz said. "His win was brilliant and his unlucky run when he was fourth was also very good."


Friday, June 6, 2008

Ba Ba ready to take his Yasuda revenge


Alan Aitken in Tokyo

Good Ba Ba's light canter at Fuchu yesterday left trainer Andreas Schutz and on-lookers to believe the world's joint top-rated miler is ready to take revenge for his Tokyo defeat last year.
Hong Kong's star entry for the US$1.85 million Yasuda Kinen on Sunday was never set a task, but it was the way he went about the leisurely jog rather than the work itself.

Good Ba Ba punctuated both his path from the quarantine area to the track and the canter on the track itself with snorts and playful bucks more in keeping with a horse fresh from a break than after a long campaign, and his bright appearance underscored Schutz's confidence.

"There is a big difference between 2007 and how he has come here this year and I couldn't be happier. I don't think he's even close to empty and he's the best chance I've had in five visits to win a major in Japan," the German said.

Schutz took the opportunity to use Fuchu's turf track despite not asking Good Ba Ba for much of an effort but there was deliberate method to the move.

"With heavy rain on Wednesday, the dirt was very sloppy but the main reason for going on the turf was to keep Good Ba Ba happy," Schutz said. "Last year he gave the impression that he preferred the turf. He travels quite strongly on the dirt but is more relaxed on the turf. Also, going around the racetrack, he learns more about the track - the undulations in the back and in the straight are quite significant."

In last year's seventh to Daiwa Major, Good Ba Ba had left his best at home after a tough season and Schutz is confident that isn't going to happen this time.

"His jockey Olivier Doleuze and I have talked about this a lot with the owner," Schutz said. "Last year, the horse had a stable change during the season and came to me as a Class 1 horse and had some tough races getting through to the top grade. He then came to Japan off a disappointing run in the Champions Mile and was on the way down. This time, he has been racing since October in top company but has done it all so easily. Even in a close finish in the Hong Kong Mile, Olivier only used the stick once and he has said all season that he has not had to be so hard on the horse."

Victory would earn Good Ba Ba a US$1 million bonus as the winner of the Champions Mile at Sha Tin, as well as the title of Asian Mile Challenge champion and certainly Hong Kong's Horse Of the Year - a title which may already be his anyway.

A dominant foreign win may even see his ranking as world's joint top miler adjusted to give him a clear margin.

John Size, meanwhile, gave Armada a canter around on the dirt track in equally quiet fashion and is just as pleased with his runner.

"All the weight he lost on the way over he put straight back on. He's enjoying the cooler weather and I'm not concerned about his condition," Size said. "He looked around a bit this morning on the track but I don't think he'll do it in a field. And he's comfortable with the left-handed direction. I'm looking for something to worry about and haven't found it yet."

Declarations were taken for the race yesterday with Japan's highly-rated Company missing, as expected, due to an eye injury.
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  #16  
Old 06-07-2008, 10:17 AM
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Good Ba Ba / Vodka / Bullish Luck with either I'll Love Again or Kiss to Heaven 4th.

HK Raiders training vids...

Good Ba Ba
http://www.jra.go.jp/keiba/thisweek/...raining/08.asx

Bullish Luck
http://www.jra.go.jp/keiba/thisweek/...raining/18.asx

Armada
http://www.jra.go.jp/keiba/thisweek/...raining/02.asx
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  #17  
Old 06-08-2008, 01:11 AM
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Why yes, yes i will just keep right on talking to myself here.....

Anyone staying up?

Edit - someone on another forum (in Japan) says Bullish Luck is 53/1 there.

Last edited by my miss storm cat : 06-08-2008 at 01:36 AM.
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  #18  
Old 06-08-2008, 01:31 AM
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Well since I'm the only one here,

GOOD LUCK HONG KONG RAIDERS!!!
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  #19  
Old 06-08-2008, 01:43 AM
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Vodka lookin good!

Armada 2nd...
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  #20  
Old 06-08-2008, 02:01 AM
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It's bad enough TVG cuts away every second to show Los Al..... now they're ******* up Armada's name and calling him After the Dance?

Idiots.

Replay...


http://www.jra.go.jp/JRADB/asx/2008/...803050611h.asx
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