Bits & Pieces from Hong Kong

The column widens its horizons to look back and forward from Hong Kong’s big international meeting on Sunday …

WE SAW IT

Presvis (B g 5, Sakhee (USA)-Forest Fire (SWE), by Never So Bold (IRE)) broke Luca Cumani’s unlucky run of seconds in international events, including the Melbourne Cup in 2007 with Purple Moon and last year with Bauer, with a superb from-last win in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth 2 Cup (2000m) at Sha Tin on Sunday.

The win underlined the status of England-based Italian-born Cumani as a strong traveller of horses and confirmed Presvis’s growing reputation- in 11 months and 11 starts the gelding has gone from a debut third in a maiden at Haydock (England) to one of world racing’s elite.

On the way to Hong Kong he won two 2000-metre handicaps in Dubai with similar storming finishes and then made up many lengths to run second to the runaway Gladiatorus (B h 2005, Silic (FR)-Gmaasha (IRE), by Kris (GB)) in the Dubai Duty Free (1777m) at Nad Al Sheba on March 28.

On Sunday, he was the best backed (at $3.90) in the QE2, outside local idol Viva Pataca ($2.50 fav, second), and gave Britain’s reigning champion jockey Ryan Moore his second Group win for the weekend after he collected the Gr. 3 Gordon Richards (2007m) on Tartan Bearer (Ch h 4, Spectrum (IRE)-Highland Gift (Ire), by Generous (IRE)) at Sandown in England on Saturday.

(Incidentally, third in the Sandown race was Buccellati (Ch h 5, Soviet Star (USA)-Susi Wong (IRE), by Selkirk (IRE), who is likely to come out for the Melbourne Cup.)

For Presvis, next stop probably will be Singapore for the Group 1 Singapore Airlines International Cup (2000m) at Kranji on May 17, also the target of Melbourne’s Pompeii Ruler (Ch g 6, Genuine (JAP)-West With Night (NZ), by Pompeii Court (USA)), who won the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick in Sydney on Saturday.

Later in the year, Presvis could head for Victoria with the Group 1 Cox Plate (WFA, 2040m) at Moonee Valley in October pencilled in for him.

Part-owner Philip Booth said Cumani had mentioned the Plate, and he added: “Anywhere in Australia would be awesome.”

Cumani, who also has the Hong Kong Cup (2000m) at Sha Tin in December on Presvis’s travel schedule, said: “I love international racing. It has great prize money and great atmosphere.” Expect a strong team from the Cumani stable for this year’s Spring Carnival. As he told The Thoroughbred this time last year: “I won’t rest until I’ve won the Melbourne Cup.”

Trainer David Hayes, popular in Australia, is even more so with punters in Hong Kong. In the parade ring with his runner Niconero before the QE2 he answered scores of ‘Hayesey’ calls from punters with a big smile and a wave or thumbs-up.

WE’LL WATCH IT

We’ll keep an eye on the Melbourne spring entries, for Presvis and also for Collection (B g 4, Peintre Celebre (USA)-Lasting Chance (USA), by American Chance (USA)), fifth in the Champions Mile, the other Group 1 at Sha Tin and the horse that trainer John Moore says can win the Cox Plate. Collection ($2.60 fav) wasn’t suited over 1600m yesterday, but he’s a gun around 2000m – he won the Hong Kong Derby over that distance last month.

Despite his fifth in the Champions Mile as $2.60 favourite, Collection appears to have ‘racing royalty’ stamped all over him. “They were a bit nippy for him over the mile,” jockey Darren Beadman said. “He had too much to do when they sprinted.”

Moore, son of former great Australian jockey George Moore and certain to win this year’s training premiership in Hong Kong, plans to bring another rising star – Happy Zero – to Australia as company for Collection, and reckons he can win the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) or Toorak Handicap (1600m), Group 1 races at Caulfield he almost snared with Super Kid in 2005 (second, Toorak) and 2006 (fourth, Rupert Clarke).

Happy Zero (Br g 4, Danzero-Have Love, by Canny Lad), who won as 1-2 favorite at Sha Tin on April 5, has won five of his six starts in Hong Kong.

Before any visitors come to Australia, we’ll watch everyone’s favourite Takeover Target run in The Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville in Adelaide next Saturday as a stepping stone to the Krisflyer (1200m) in Singapore (on the same program at the SAI Cup) and, all going well, to Royal Ascot in England for his fourth crack at the Group 1 Golden Jubilee (1200m) in June – Takeover Target (B g 9, Celtic Swing (GB)-Shady Stream, by Archregent (CAN)) has finished second, third and fourth in the Golden Jubilee.

THEY SAID IT

Australian trainer John Hawkes, after the well-backed Dao Dao (Br g 5, Shinko Forest (Ire)-Casual Way (NZ), by Casual Lies (USA)) was a lip and a lip from winning the Champions Mile after being backed from $45 into $27 in the half-hour before the race: “He’s run very well, and we knew he would.”

Weichong Marwing, Dao Dao’s rider: “They maybe didn’t go hard enough for him early on – that could have cost us a little.  But he ran really well, and it was a good effort.”

Brett Prebble, the Hong Kong-based Australian who rode Champions Mile winner Sight Winner in preference to Dao Dao: “It’s a nice surprise but John (Size, the trainer) seemed quietly confident in the paddock beforehand, so that got my confidence up a little.”

John Size, another Australian based in Hong Kong: “Two factors to explain the win – the track condition was extremely important, and not letting the leader get it too easy as he often does was vital. We now have to have a look at the Yasuda Kinen (Japan’s final leg of the Asian Mile Challenge, in Tokyo next month) as we get an automatic invite (and a chance for a million-dollar bonus given to the winner of two legs).”

Jockey Craig Williams on Australia’s Niconero ($30), eighth in the Queen Elizabeth 2 Cup (2000m): “I eased him out of the race because I felt that he’d broken down in the near foreleg.”

Niconero’s trainer David Hayes: “It’s confirmed that he’s bowed a tendon in that leg and it’s probably career ending. I can’t believe it because he’s been such a good horse to us and incredibly I’d say he’s the soundest horse I’ve ever trained.”

John Moore, on Viva Pataca (B/br g 7, Marju (IRE)-Comic (IRE), by Be My Chief (USA)) going down to Presvis: “My horse was gallant in defeat. He had a perfect trip but the other horse was really something … you have to give way to the young ones sometimes.”

AND WE ADDED IT UP

 The QE2 was worth $HK14 million (about $2.8 million) and the Mile $HK12 million (about $2.4 million).

 Legal betting turnover in Hong Kong on the meeting was $HK906 million (about $181 million), down almost 4% on last year.

The quinella pool on the last race was more than $HK42 million (about $8.4 million) – quinella betting is much more popular than win or place and can have a pool more than twice the size of the win pool. And the quinella place (which we know as the duet, and as a flop in Australia) is not far behind the quinella.

 Attendance was 41,000, down 15 per cent – crowd and turnover figures were rain-affected.

 Prebble rode a treble to pass 50 winners for the season – he is on 51 and will finish second at season’s end (July 1) to South African Douglas Whyte (currently 84), the perennial champion. Beadman (35) should be third.

 Moore had one winner and with 58 is well clear on the trainers’ list from Size (45) and Caspar Fownes (44).