No need for the RSPCA to worry

Ortensia, it seems, has nine lives … and that’s a bonus for the Australian mare going into the tough Group 1 Cathay Pacific International Sprint at Sha Tin in Hong Kong on Sunday.

And the stable cats at Mornington didn’t need to use up any of their “nine lives” as the result of her track mishap at Hong Kong late last week, trainer Tony Noonan saying he didn’t kick any when told by phone of a cat spooking Ortensia when she worked on Sha Tin’s all-weather track.

Noonan, before he left for Hong Kong, learned of the mishap when son Jake, who was dumped from Ortensia when she reacted to the stray cat, rang within minutes of the accident.

“I could tell by his voice there was something wrong,” Tony Noonan said. “In one way I was relieved, because when you get that sort of call you think there’s going to be something major wrong, but miraculously she escaped any major problem at all.

“She galloped on and just got a little bit disorientated and tried to climb over the rail.

The vet looked at her straight away, and we ended up working her an hour later because she appeared to be sound. And she hasn’t missed any work.”

Yesterday Ortensia (b m 5, Testa Rossa-Aerate’s Pick, by Picnicker) worked strongly over 1200 metres, the Sprint distance, wide on the turf for Jake Noonan, impressing watchers with her final 200 in 10.96 seconds.

Today, however, she merely exercised in the trotting ring inside the quarantine compound at the track, out of the sight of the media.

Tony Noonan said she was fine and he was happy with her condition.

Ortensia, however, is a bit erratic. As a young horse she flipped over in the mounting yard at Caulfield and had to be scratched, and now Noonan and his staff take extra care after she has been saddled for races.

“She’s just one of those horses that is terribly reactive. She gets distracted all the time,” he said. “(But) you just don’t plan on coming to another part of the world for a major race and have a cat jump out and scare you.”

It is believed the Sha Tin cat escaped unscathed, too, although a Hong Kong Jockey Club representative said someone jokingly volunteered to bring an ex-police dog he looked after on to the track to chase away the “villain”.

Craig Williams, four-times Victorian champion jockey, is due tonight from Japan (where he has a contract until Christmas) to ride Ortensia in the $HK14 million (about $A1.8 million). “He’s the one with the golden touch with her,” the trainer said.

Asked who Ortensia had to knock off to run a place, or better, Noonan said: “The obvious ones, but I think Rocket Man has done very well. I’ve been able to look at him all during the week and he looks super. It’ll be a tough race, though.”

Noonan drew barrier five for Ortensia – he said he would have preferred a little wider for a mare that drops out and finishes strongly.

Defending champion and race favourite Sacred Kingdom will start from two and Singapore’s star Rocket Man from six.

Melbourne Cup (and Geelong Cup) winner Americain drew nine for the Group 1 Vase (2400m), also worth $HK14 million. Hong Kong-based Frenchman Gerald Mosse, who won on him in both Australian starts, has the mount again.

Williams will ride Japan’s Jaguar Mail in the Vase – he won the 3200m Tenno Sho on him at Kyoto in Japan in May. He has drawn barrier seven.

Photo: Ortensia, with Jake Noonan in the saddle, at Sha Tin this week.