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#1
04-23-2008, 01:26 PM
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Quote:
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#2
04-23-2008, 02:48 PM
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Sure.
 * * * Hong Kong trackwork Wednesday 23 Apr 2008 Hong Kong Jockey Club Audemars Piguet QEII Cup, Champions Mile 2008 – Tracknotes, Wed 23 April A grey drizzle covered Sha Tin on Wednesday morning in sharp contrast to the heat of Tuesday, as the international challengers went about their preparations for Sunday's two feature races, the HK$14m Audemars Piguet QEII Cup and HK$8m Champions Mile. Sakae Kunieda, one of the leading trainers based at Miho Training Centre in Japan watched his two horses, Matsurida Gogh and Meiner Segal work on the turf and was very happy with what he saw. Meiner Segal, bound for Champions Mile, set the pace under his regular exercise rider Takeshi Okumura, with jockey Masayoshi Ebina on board Cup runner Matsurida Gogh chasing from the 1000m marker. They both showed good acceleration in the stretch and Matsurida Gogh crossed the line just ahead of his stablemate with Turf Timers clocking the final 400m in 21.8 seconds. "They both were doing great and a perfect job. I now have a good feeling for Sunday's races." "This is my third time in Hong Kong and my horses are in good form and have settled in well. They will just walk around the stable area tomorrow to recuperate after today's work." Jockey Ebina who had just arrived in Hong Kong and was to return to Japan on Wednesday afternoon for next Saturday's meeting, was able to report on Matsurida Gogh after the workout. "I think he did a good job today. When I was breezing at Niigata Racecourse I was on board Meiner Segal, and watched Matsurida Gogh running next to us, and I was happy with his performance at that time. He also galloped powerfully today as well," Ebina said. "I hope he can keep his good condition for the rest of the week and the key point is how he can manage his new surroundings without losing weight. But I think he has enough talent to cope." Archipenko had a quiet day after his impressive workout on Tuesday, visiting the paddock at Sha Tin with Kevin Shea for a gentle paddock school. "I was chuffed with his work yesterday, his time was okay considering he was working on his own. I didn't want to do too much with him. He's eaten up well and he's very relaxed this morning, he's just taking everything in," Mike de Kock's assistant trainer Trevor Brown said. The French challengers for the Cup, Balius and Musical Way, continued their established routines on the all weather track, putting in regulation canters ahead of Sunday's race. Stephan Duprey, assistant trainer to Carlos Laffon Parias, was pleased with Balius, who was unstoppable in Listed Race company in France, winning five times. "He raced a few weeks ago and worked on grass the day he left France so we don't need to be doing too much more with him now. He's been a bit fresh - no surprise considering he has recently made his first journey on a plane - but anyway that is a good sign. We would be worried if he was not fresh," said Duprey. German raider Quijano was also kept to the all-weather, after which he went for a school in the paddock. Meanwhile the Kiwi galloper Sir Slick continues to please in his preparation for Sunday's feature according to trainer Graeme Nicholson. "I know I keep saying this but I just can't believe how well he's doing. Again last night he ate up everything in front of him. It's just as if he's at home," Nicholson said. John Size, on course for a fifth trainers' title in seven Hong Kong seasons, fields his first international runners for over 16 months in the Champions Mile and there's no doubt that Armada, runner-up in the 2006 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile, is the pick of his duo. Last season's Champion Miler in Hong Kong, Armada faces his third run after a year's layoff and by winning the Chairman's Trophy on 6 April indicated that a return to his very best form is imminent. "His win last time did not surprise me as he had done everything perfectly in the two months leading up. On his first run back [the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup] he got held up in the final part of the race but that probably worked in his favour in the final part of the race," Size remarked. "He looked very good in the paddock that day and he ran accordingly. He probably got a little tired in the end but he had a good blow and hopefully he can improve marginally and run well again." How much Armada can improve from his last start win in the Chairman’s Trophy is open to conjecture “but if he can repeat his last start or find a length or two I would be happy with that,” Size said, not underestimating the value of fresh legs when several of his rivals enter the final stretch of the season with a few more miles on the clock. Speaking of his likely chief rival, Size added: “I wouldn’t be confident that we can beat a horse like Good Ba Ba who is flying but I’ll enjoy the challenge for sure. I also think there will be further improvement in Armada after this race because this will be only his third run after a 12-month break.” In the same race Size also relies on Dao Dao “hoping he can run a strong mile” on the back of a career best performance last start when he carried top weight over 1400m. “I couldn’t say a mile is his best distance after a run like that at 1400m. He has progressed very quickly this season and I think there will be more in him for the future - perhaps after the summer when he has had a break. We will see him at his best as a five-year-old and hopefully in the international races in December. But he seems okay after his last run. I have been riding him myself and he seems fresh and well for this race," the trainer added. At the time of writing, weather forecast is cloudy with scattered showers. In the event of a wet track, trainer Andreas Schutz queried how his likely race favourite Good Ba Ba would handle the changed conditions. "All his wins have been on good or fast ground and that could make a difference but I'm hoping he can handle it if the ground changes," he said. Schutz agreed with the consensus "on paper" that the Champions Mile appears between Good Ba Ba and Armada but also wouldn't rule out Joyful Winner either "because he was perhaps a bit unlucky not to beat Armada last time as he was boxed in at the top of the straight."
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#3
04-23-2008, 07:53 PM
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On the kids from Japan...
(See, isn't he pretty?)  http://racing.scmp.com/freeservice/n...s20080424a.asp
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#4
04-24-2008, 07:23 AM
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Oh God Mosse on Bullish Luck???
Race 7 - THE CHAMPIONS MILE Sunday, April 27, 2008, Sha Tin, 15:55 Turf ,"A" Course ,1600m Prize Money: $8,000,000.00, Rating: -, Race Class: (GROUP 1) Horse No. Colour Horse Wt. Trainer Horse Wt. (Declaration) Rtg. Jockey Draw Brand No. Gear Rtg.+/- Wt.+/- (vs Declaration) 1 ARMADA 126 J Size - D Whyte 7 E246 - - 2 GOOD BA BA 126 A Schutz - O Doleuze 4 E201 TT - - 3 BULLISH LUCK 126 A S Cruz - G Mosse 5 C155 B/XB - - 4 FLORAL PEGASUS 126 A S Cruz - F Coetzee 10 G011 TT - - 5 JOYFUL WINNER 126 J Moore - D Beadman 9 E045 TT - - 6 ABLE ONE 126 J Moore - E Saint-Martin 6 G108 - - 7 JOY AND FUN 126 D Cruz - G Boss 1 H014 SW- - - 8 GREEN BIRDIE 126 C Fownes - B Prebble 2 H245 - - 9 MEINER SEGAL 126 S Kunieda - M Ebina 8 J633 SR - - 10 DAO DAO 126 J Size - Z Purton 3 H308 - - Race 8 - THE AUDEMARS PIGUET QE II CUP Sunday, April 27, 2008, Sha Tin, 16:35 Turf ,"A" Course ,2000m Prize Money: $14,000,000.00, Rating: -, Race Class: (GROUP 1) Horse No. Colour Horse Wt. Trainer Horse Wt. (Declaration) Rtg. Jockey Draw Brand No. Gear Rtg.+/- Wt.+/- (vs Declaration) 1 VIVA PATACA 126 J Moore - D Beadman 11 G096 H - - 2 MATSURIDA GOGH 126 S Kunieda - M Ebina 7 J628 SR - - 3 ARCHIPENKO 126 M F de Kock - K Shea 10 J629 B/TT - - 4 QUIJANO 126 P Schiergen - A Starke 2 J615 - - 5 JACKPOT DELIGHT 126 C Fownes - G Mosse 6 J101 B - - 6 PACKING WINNER 126 L Ho - D Whyte 3 E334 - - 7 HELENE MASCOT 126 A S Cruz - F Coetzee 8 J164 TT - - 8 SIR SLICK 126 G A Nicholson - B Herd 1 J630 - - 9 BALIUS 126 Laffon-Parias - O Doleuze 9 J631 B - - 10 BULLISH CASH 126 A S Cruz - B Prebble 12 H049 TT - - 11 VIVA MACAU 126 J Moore - M Nunes 4 H110 SW/TT - - 12 MUSICAL WAY 122 P van de Poele - R Thomas 5 H617 SW - -
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#6
04-24-2008, 08:23 PM
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2 very important handicapping notes for Sunday morning:
Floral Pegasus drew the outside 10 draw, while Viva Pataca drew 11 of 12. 2 horses that had big chances Sunday didn't have much luck in the post position draw. Not that they are without chance, but I would go shopping for alternatives if they are overbet.
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#7
04-24-2008, 08:52 PM
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Quote:
ARCHIPENKO 126 M F de Kock - K Shea 10 J629 B/TT - - I HOPE YOU BELIVE ON HIM.
__________________
No wonder they like it hot.... 
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and 2. he won the G3 Fuji Stakes.
Hybrid Mode
