Cardinal Conditions Winner Not Heading to Kentucky

Bye Bye Hong Kong will not be saying hello to Churchill Downs after winning the inaugural running of the Woodford Reserve Cardinal conditions stakes April 11 at Chelmsford City—the last-chance saloon for European qualifiers for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1).

The first running of the mile contest awarding European Road to the Kentucky Derby points attracted Aidan O'Brien's first-ever runners to the track, including 15-8 favorite U S S Michigan, a Triple Crown nominee.

He and outsider Shir Khan were the only two Triple Crown nominees of the nine-strong field, but U S S Michigan could only muster fourth while Shir Khan tailed off to finish eighth.

The race still threw up a decent winner in Bye Bye Hong Kong, a Kentucky-bred son of Street Sense who gave Silvestre de Sousa his biggest win since signing a retainer for King Power Racing this year.

Sitting just off a lively early pace, the Andrew Balding-trained 3-year-old found an opening at the head of the straight and had enough in reserve to hold off the fast-finishing O'Brien second string Antilles and Godolphin's Dark Vision. A Kentucky-bred son of War Front , Antilles would have had to be supplemented to the Derby.

"I sat on Bye Bye Hong Kong at Andrew's the other day and he worked well, so I knew we had a decent chance. He's a group horse, but whether he's a group 1 horse, I don't know," de Sousa said afterward. "It's nice to get a prize like this in the bag for the team, as the owner put so much money into it, and it's good to keep the dream alive."

Balding said: "We will probably stay at home with Bye Bye Hong Kong (rather than race in the Kentucky Derby) … so the second could supplement if they want to pay $200,000."

Of the third-placed Dark Vision, Johnston said: "I'm happy enough as that was a big improvement from last time at Doncaster, and it was a race similar to his win at Goodwood, where he got outpaced and then ran on. He's in the (QIPCO)Two Thousand Guineas (G1), but James Doyle feels that might be a bit sharp for him."

Coolmore representative Kevin Buckley said of their pair: "Ryan Moore was happy enough with U S S Michigan, who was running over the trip for the first time. He's still learning and should improve from this. Antilles finished off his race well and should also improve."

Commenting on the Kentucky Derby initiative, racecourse manager Fraser Garrity said: "It's been a great day, and it was great to have two live horses in the race who would have got an automatic spot. If the winner wants to supplement, he could still run. And, if not, the second would have the chance."