Another for Moore’s Collection

Despite his original bullish plan to send Collection from Hong Kong for last month’s Group 1 Cox Plate (wfa, 2040m) at Moonee Valley, Australian trainer John Moore opted to keep the gelding at Sha Tin for December’s glamour Cathay Pacific International meeting.

Yesterday, Collection (B g 2005, Peintre Celebre (USA)-Lasting Chance (USA), by American Chance (USA)) easily won the 2000m Group 2 trial race for the Group 1 Hong Kong Cup (also 2000m) to show Moore, one of Hong Kong’s pacesetters for the past 15 years, had pulled the right rein – unlike stable rider Darren Beadman, who preferred Moore’s veteran star Viva Pataca, who finished seventh, as his lead-in ride.

It was not the first time Moore’s second-choice rider, the South African Weichong Marwing, had found the leftover tastier than Beadman’s first choice, and it probably won’t be the last.

However, the saving grace for Beadman, one of the modern greats of Australian racing, is that he should get to ride both horses in the Group 1s at the December 13 international meet – Moore indicated that Collection would go on to the $HK20 million (almost $3 million) Cup and Viva Pataca (B g 2002, Marju (IRE)-Comic (IRE), by Be My Chief (USA)) would run in the Group 1 Vase (2400m), worth $HK14 million (about $2 million).

Neither race will be easy for Moore, with visitors having dominated the 2000m and 2400m races over recent years. Viva Pataca, for example, ran second in the Cup last year behind Eagle Mountain, trained by South African Mike De Kock, and was fourth in 2007 behind Godolphin’s Ramonti.

Viva Pataca had won the past two International Cup trials, but yesterday he was too far back to have any say in the run home. Not Collection, who was simply super and now is two from two over 2000m at Sha Tin – the other win was the Hong Kong Derby earlier this year, the race that prompted Moore to talk of bringing him to Australia.

“What a turn of foot he has,” Moore said yesterday of Collection. “He is going in the right direction for the Cup and I expect he will be the one to beat. 

“As for Viva Pataca, he got back a little further than I wanted. He was at the rear and would have had to run an unbelievable time home to be in it. But he will be a big chance in the Vase next month. He will definitely be in the first three then.”

Group 2 trials for the Group 1 Mile ($HK16 million) and Group 1 $HK12 million Sprint (1200m) will be held at Sha Tin on Sunday, with Australian horse of the year Scenic Blast to run in the sprint trial.

Steven Arnold, no longer committed to the Lloyd Williams stable in Victoria, will be back on Scenic Blast (B or br g 5, Scenic (IRE)-Daughter’s Charm, by Delgado (USA)) after Mark Zahra filled in for the most recent leg of the Global Sprint Challenge in Japan on October 4. Then, Scenic Blast disappointed after suffering interference, but trainer Danny Morton hopes for improved runs in Hong Kong as connections chase a $1 million bonus for winning Group 1s in three countries – Scenic Blast already has wins in Australia (the Lightning) and England (the King’s Stand).

How well the gelding has acclimatised should be known on Saturday when he is likely to race against the world’s top-rated sprinter Sacred Kingdom (B g 2003, Encosta De Lago-Courtroom Sweetie, by Zeditave) and last year’s International Sprint winner Inspiration (Ch g 2003, Flying Spur-La Bamba (GB), by Last Tycoon (GB)), both bred in Australia – Beadman, who won last year on Inspiration for Moore, is likely to ride him again. Another Australian, Brett Prebble, is Sacred Kingdom’s jockey.

Prebble is on a hot streak, with three winners yesterday and four at the night meeting at Happy Valley on Wednesday. With 20 wins he leads Keith Yeung (15) and Beadman (11) in the jockeys’ premiership. South African Douglas Whyte, winner of the past nine titles but a slow starter this season, is one of five riders with 10 wins.

Moore, with two wins yesterday, leads the trainers’ premiership on 15, two clear of another Australian, David Hall (13), who also had a double yesterday.

Australia’s other Group 1 sprinting stars, All Silent (B g 6, Belong To Me (USA)-Lisheenowen, by Semipalatinsk (USA)) and Apache Cat (Ch g 7, Lion Cavern (USA)-Tennessee Blaze, by Whiskey Road (USA)) also have been invited to next month’s race.

Mornington trainer Tony Noonan is waiting to hear if his mare Ortensia will be invited. She is in Perth preparing for either the Group 1 Railway Stakes  (1600m) at Ascot on Saturday or the G2 Winterbottom (1200m) on November 28. (Apache Cat ran second behind Takeover Target in last year’s Winterbottom before finishing third in the Hong Kong Sprint.)

Noonan, by the way, will be in Perth quite a bit from now on, as he will open a satellite stable there next month.

Another Victorian, Mark Riley’s Gold Salute (B or br g 6, Testa Rossa-Gold Sarah, by Catrail (USA)), is seeking an Hong Kong invitation, too. His Railway run will determine if one is forthcoming.