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Don’t back Europe....
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...when its horses are racing abroad – Paul Haigh’s New Year’s resolution
ew Year Resolution time. And the only one that occurs immediately is: “Don’t bet Brit horses blind in international races”. It’s lazy, arrogant and usually unproductive – especially in sprints. Bit like Brexit maybe. A wiser head than this one solemnly announced before the first of Hong Kong’s four end-of-year Longines international Group 1s that: “The locals will win them all”. Cue scoffing, and flat contradiction of such defeatist negativity. The strongly held theory that European (and, particularly, British-trained) middle-distance horses are superior to those trained anywhere else took a savage corrective blow when Hong Kong’s Exultant and Japan’s Lys Gracieux drew clear of the rest in the last furlong of the 2,400m (1m4f) Hong Kong Vase. In the circumstances Eziyra, trained by Dermot Weld for the Aga Khan, produced a terrific performance under Christophe Lemaire to finish just under 3l third. Arc fourth Waldgeist ran fifth, Rostropovitch seventh, Cracksman’s once near-conqueror Salouen ninth, Irish Derby winner Latrobe 11th, Red Verdon was second last,
The strongly held theory that European (and, particularly, British) middle-distance horses are superior to those trained anywhere else took a savage corrective blow
while Sir Michael Stoute’s much-fancied Mirage Dancer (and so much-backed that it was almost time for an unprecedentedly early departure for the dreaded Walk of Shame to the ATM) with Ryan Moore on board trailed home to complete an Euro-rout. “He ran bad,” said Moore. “I don’t know why.” Well yes, Ryan. But all of them? Nobody really expected Sir Dancealot to do much better in the Sprint which, with the huge exception of Japan’s Lord Kanaloa, has been virtually dominated by Hong Kong-trained Australian-breds. And Sir D didn’t surprise, also finishing last, although only about 5l behind local hero and last year’s winner, Mr Stunning. How much better “we” were going to do in the Mile wasn’t the main question beforehand. That was whether anything was going to get near the defending champion, the Hong Kong-trained Beauty Generation, already rated the world’s best Turf miler. No need for suspense. Nothing could. With Purton on board again, the six-year-old gelding, clear 2f out, humiliated all pursuers. Nothing’s got a sniff of him all season. Perhaps only Winx could hope to do so. Neither Beat The Bank nor
Glorious Forever takes the Hong Kong Cup under SIlvestre de Sousa. The four Longines Group 1s on the international race day were annexed by domestic-trained horses, but at least the Brazilian-born jockey de Sousa has honed his craft in Britain, while Glorious Forever, as well as the third home his full-brother Time Warp, were bred in Britain by Kirsten Rausing at Lanwades Stud
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