Unfinished business for the Cat

The reception given to Apache Cat after his success in the G2 Schweppes Stakes at Moonee Valley was of Cox Plate intensity as the white-faced sprinter confirmed his standing as the crowd favourite – just imagine the volume if he had been trained by the other crowd favourite, the enduring Bart Cummings, who was similarly feted on winning the G1 Plate with So You Think almost 90 minutes later.

The wins and the noise confirmed the champions’ popularity and reinforced the brilliance of the backdrop that is Moonee Valley. Move the Cox Plate to Flemington and you have a vast track that has the status to hold Australia’s weight-for-age championship, but you don’t have the closeness that makes this race what it is.

There is an old saying – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Say no more.

There will be plenty more said about Cummings as the Melbourne Cup unfolds for the 149th time, but Apache Cat (ch g 7, Lion Cavern (USA)-Tennessee Blaze, by Whiskey Road (USA)) will be under the radar for a few weeks before heading to Hong Kong to try to complete some unfinished business in the Cathay Pacific International Sprint (1200m) at Sha Tin, probably after a run in the G2 Sprint Trial (1200m) at that track on November 22.

Cranbourne trainer Greg Eurell said he would give Apache Cat, a winner of eight Group 1s, a week off before starting to get him ready. “They’ve got international trials on there before the main event so it could work out really good for him,” he said.

Apache Cat is the winner of 19 races and nearly $4.6 million, and connections believe they have a job to complete in Hong Kong – the Cat ran a close third in the International Sprint in 2007 after hitting a “flat spot” early in the straight. Corey Brown rode him then, but Damien Oliver has become the partner of choice as the pair has had three wins since Brown was unplaced in the Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Flemington in January.

In preparing for Hong Kong, Apache Cat will not run in the Group 1 Patinack Farm Classic (1200m) at Flemington on November 7. Eurell expects to run the stable’s emerging star, Mic Mac in that race – Mic Mac (b g 4, Statue Of Liberty (USA)-Amandine, by Tertian (USA)) was second to Apache Cat on Saturday.

With Scenic Blast (b/br g 5, Scenic (IRE)-Daughter’s Charm, by Delgado (USA)) already in Hong Kong for the $HK12 million (almost $2 million) Sprint after failing in Japan on October 4, Australia will have at least two starters on the big international day.

Scenic Blast’s connections, too, have unfinished business – win at Sha Tin and they get a $US1 million bonus for winning Group 1 races in three countries as part of the Global Sprint Challenge.

Hong Kong has received 12 Australian nominations among the 68 (17 G1 winners) for the Sprint, although most won’t go. Also nominated are: All Silent, Danleigh, Duporth, Eagle Falls, Fist Of Fury, Light Fantastic, Nicconi, Ortensia, Raheed and Turffontein.

Australians nominated for the three other G1 races are:

The $HK16 million Mile (16): All American, All Silent, Apache Cat, Black Piranha, Duporth, Eagle Falls, Gold Salute, Largo Lad, Mentality, Nicconi, Ortensia, Phenomenons, Racing To Win, Road To Rock, Turffontein, Von Costa De Hero.

The $HK20 million Cup (9): Largo Lad, Mentality, Phenomenons, Predatory Pricer, Racing To Win, Red Lord, Road To Rock, Scenic Shot, Zavite.

The $HK14 million Vase (5): Fiumicino, Predatory Pricer, Red Lord, Scenic Shot, Zavite.

Horses selected from the worldwide total of 298 nominations that include 79 G1 winners will be announced late next month, but the handful invited for Trial races will be known tomorrow.

Bill Nader, executive director of racing of the HKJC, said other key sprint nominations were:

- From Europe, Prix de l’Abbaye winner Total Gallery, July Cup heroine Fleeting Spirit and the dual Nunthorpe Stakes winner Borderlescott;

- From the US, Cannonball, the speedster who made such a big impression at Royal Ascot this year;

 - From Japan, Laurel Guerreiro, recent winner of the Sprinters’ Stakes at Nakayama;

- And from Hong Kong, the world’s top-ranked sprinter Sacred Kingdom, last year’s International Sprint winner Inspiration (who won at Sha Tin yesterday), and the up-and-coming Happy Zero. Both Inspiration and Happy Zero are trained by Australian John Moore, whose stable rider Darren Beadman will get the pick of the mounts.

Other world-class horses nominated for the meeting are:

- In the Vase, British stars, Conduit (three G1 wins) and Youmzain (runner-up in the past three Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe);

- In the Mile, France’s six-time G1 winner Goldikova, Vodka, Japan’s most successful mare, and Good Ba Ba, the Hong Kong horse seeking to win the race for the third time on end;

- And in the Cup, last year’s winner Eagle Mountain, Presvis (winner of  the Audemars Piguet QEII Cup at this distance in April for Luca Cumani) and Collection, Hong Kong Derby winner last season.

Craig Williams, winner of the past four Victorian premierships, rode two winners on a flying visit to Sha Tin yesterday, both for Australian trainer John Size. The wins on Appreciation (b g 4, Danasinga-Kincia (NZ), by Kinjite (NZ)) and Unique Jewellery (bg 5, O’Reilly (NZ)-Aulide (USA), by Snippets) were welcomed by the jockey – he was sacked this month by leading trainer David Hayes, has just finished a suspension that cost him key carnival rides and then was second in the Cox Plate on Manhattan Rain to another three-year-old, So You Think.

Williams also had good news at home yesterday, picking up the G1 Mackinnon Stakes mount on So You Think at Flemington on Saturday when Glen Boss was suspended for his Cox Plate ride.