Fields Set for Hong Kong International Races

After a bit of intrigue and some last-minute quick healing, the fields are set for the Dec. 14 Longines Hong Kong International Races—four group I events sponsored by Longines ranging from sprint to marathon—at Sha Tin Racecourse.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club has significantly increased the purses of its international races over the past several years. The Vase now is worth HK$16.5 million, or about US$2.1 million; the Sprint, HK$18.5 million, or about US$2.4 million; the Mile, HK$23 million, or almost US$3 million; and the Cup , HK$25 million, or about US$3.2 million.

The intrigue centered on Spalato, a 5-year-old gelding who was undefeated in Singapore before running next-to-last in Hong Kong in the local trial for the Hong Kong Sprint. In the week leading up to the international races, local stewards conducted an investigation into reports Spalato started the prep race despite being found lame before the event.

In an effort to fully inform bettors, the stewards Dec. 10  released a preliminary report that Spalato had been troubled in his right hind leg but that by the time of the race he seemed to be moving normally. Subsequent investigation found the horse fit to run in the big race, the report said.

Spalato thus could be among the favorites in a 14-horse field that includes top Hong Kong runners Lucky Nine and Sterling City, Ireland's Gordon Lord Byron, multiple group I winner Sole Power, three Japanese sprinters, and Australian runner Buffering.

Buffering, a 7-year-old son of Mossman, was one of the "quick healers." On Dec. 9 he was found to have an abscess in his right front foot and questionable for the Sprint. But by the afternoon of Dec. 11 he was back on the track, and trainer Robert Heathcote said he seemed fine.

"On Tuesday morning, I was about to get on a plane and go home. I've never had a horse go lame so quick and then come right so quickly," Heathcote said. "He seems OK."

The sprint, at 1,200 meters (about six furlongs), starts midway down the backstretch on the right-handed Sha Tin turf course with a short run into the turn, making post positions and early maneuvering critical to success. Spalato is stuck out in gate No. 11 but the other main contenders drew relatively comfortably.

Buffering's woes were almost exactly mirrored by Ambitious Dragon, a previous Hong Kong Horse of the Year and an improving hope for the Hong Kong Mile (1,600 meters). He also was found lame Dec. 9, also with an abscess in his right front foot. But, like Buffering, Ambitious Dragon had improved sufficiently by Dec. 11 to draw gate 9 in an 11-horse field.

Oddly, he won the Mile two years ago after a similar scare and all-night treatment by trainer Tony Millard. "The horse is looking good this morning," Millard said before the barrier draw. "Fingers crossed he'll be right for Sunday."

He'll need to be, facing the likes of Trade Storm, third-place finisher in the Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT) in his last outing and winner of the Ricoh Woodbine Mile (Can-IT) before that; fellow Hong Kong star Able Friend and last year's winner and runner-up, Glorious Days and Gold-Fun; and Japan's Fiero, second in the Mile Championship (Jpn-I) at Kyoto.

The self-styled "world turf championships" kick off with the Hong Kong Vase, run at the unusual-for-Hong Kong distance of 2,400 meters (about 1 1/2 miles). With local horses given little chance to compete at the trip, this event historically has been a target for overseas raiders, and this version is no different.

Leading the pack is Flintshire, the Andre Fabre trainee who settled for second in both the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-I) and the Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT). Also back is the venerable Red Cadeaux. The 8-year-old gelding trained by Ed Dunlop won the Vase in 2012, dead-heated for third in 2011. and finished fourth last year. He comes off a runner-up finish in the Emirates Melbourne Cup (Aus-I) and also finished second in the 2013 Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (UAE-I).

Germany is represented in the Vase (incidentally, in Hong Kong, it's pronounced "VAZ") by Empoli, winner of the Prix von Europa (Ger-I) in his last outing. Sir Michael Stoute brings Snow Sky, a 3-year-old colt by Nayef, who finished third in the Ladbrokes St. Leger (Eng-I) in his last start and gets Ryan Moore.

The finale of the big day is the Hong Kong Cup, at 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles), with a dozen set to start. The field includes some of Hong Kong's top equine names in Designs On Rome, Military Attack, Blazing Speed, and California Memory.

The top foreign prospect is another "road warrior," the French-based, 8-year-old Cirrus Des Aigles, who will be making his fifth appearance in the Hong Kong International Races. It would have been his sixth but for a late injury that forced him out in 2012. His best showing at Sha Tin, however, has been a third-place finish in last year' Cup, won by the now-retired Akeed Mofeed.

Trainer Corine Barbande-Barbe said Cirrus Des Aigles isn't feeling his age and is "very fresh," not having run since finishing fifth in the Qipco Champion Stakes (Eng-I) Oct. 18 at Ascot.

"Believe me, he's young at heart, truly, and being an 8-year-old doesn't seem to affect him," she said of her star who has won or placed in 48 of 60 career starts and earned more than $9.3 million. "Anyway, he was born on May 8, so he is six months away from his ninth birthday."