Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup

[my miss storm cat]

Originally Posted by mortimerdexterfoxworthy

May I say...


....no postage due on that one?





Your work here is to die for.

Must.....

..... get.....

..... someone.....

..... to.....

..... translate!

* * *

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