Rain softens up the opposition for Macau in interport return

'It's certainly going of a kind that horses never see in Hong Kong,' says Hayes

The idiosyncracies of Macau's Taipa racecourse look certain to play a home-town role as Hong Kong attempts to gain its revenge in this afternoon's $2.3 million Hong Kong-Macau Trophy (1,500 metres).

Joe Lau-trained Crown's Gift set the Hong Kong Jockey Club on its heels by winning the inaugural interport race on February 15 at Sha Tin and the return bout has been made no easier for the 'big brother' club by a sharp track downgrade.

The Taipa track softened up after rain on Thursday and Macau Jockey Club racing director and chief steward Ian Paterson said he anticipated the course to be 'slow at best', adding a surface consideration for the Hong Kong visitors they would rarely see.

'There is a good grass cover but that rain just sent it to heavy on Thursday afternoon,' he said. 'We had no rain on Friday but they weren't great drying conditions. It wouldn't take much rain to keep the reading at heavy, but even with no more rain it will only be slow.'

Two of the three Hong Kong trainers, Caspar Fownes and David Hayes, were at trackwork on Friday morning at Taipa to watch their collective of five runners and were happy with the state of their runners.

'It's certainly going of a kind that horses never see in Hong Kong,' said Hayes, who will saddle up Celestial Magic, Planet Ruler and Clement Supreme. 'I suppose we can't know if they'll handle it until they run but Celestial Magic handles everything he has thrown at him, so I don't think ground will be the concern. And Clement Supreme was a heavy track winner in Melbourne.'