9th December 2014
I fly out to Hong Kong to join Captain Cat tomorrow evening. He left us last Friday and he settled in to HK on Saturday.
My assistant James Horton is out there and is happy with him. His temperature has been normal and his limbs are in good shape. For the first couple of days he was not allowed on to the track, and just had to walk and trot near the stables. This morning he went on the dirt track, which is on the inside of the turf track, where he trotted half the track, then cantered the second half, two times. On Monday he was very interested in the cameras and his new surroundings, but he was much better today and behaved like a pro. He currently weighs what he did when he won his races at Salisbury and Haydock this year, and therefore doesn’t need to do a lot of work.
As you would expect for a £1m race, it is competitive. Able Friend is a serious horse and I suspect everyone would be very surprised if he got beat. I watched him come through the handicap ranks last year when our old horse Dundonnell was making his debut in HK. He destroyed the field that day and has gone from strength to strength. Running 21.93 for the last quarter in his last win, when on the bridle, is very scary! Currently there are 11 runners, which is smaller than normal, as they are able to accommodate 14. At the moment there is a chance that Ambitious Dragon may not make the race due to an off fore foot infection. There are also rumours that a Japanese horse may have been kicked, although it could be a horses entered in one of the other international races. Prize Money goes down to 6th and it would be helpful if there were 9 runners in the end! Aside from Able Friend, there is Gold Fun who is very consistent and Glorious Days, all of whom have the advantage of being local horses, and train on the track. The foreign raiders are not unbeatable.
He will be declared tomorrow morning with James Doyle and Cheek Pieces. He worked with great enthusiasm with them on before he left for the Far East. I am told the track is currently on the quick side and in good shape, which should suit.
We now have two horses for sale on the website, with shares disappearing fast. Please take a look at pictures, videos and pedigrees. Horses for sale