Touch Of Land sends onlookers scurrying for cover
French invader Touch Of Land sent photographers shying for cover at Sha Tin trackwork yesterday morning when he galloped up forbidden ground against the inside rail due to an error by track staff.
Touch Of Land and Australia's Elvstroem were scheduled to have their major pre-race gallops yesterday out wide on the turf course, as is the usual practice, but the French entry for Sunday's $14 million Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup used the fresh ground hard against the inside because no markers had been placed out to signal the area of the track available for his work.
Touch Of Land's rider, Bernard Moini, walked him along the outside of the track from the stabling area at the top of the 1,000-metre chute, down the straight and around to the back of the course before working off from the 1,400 metres.
All observers expected him to reappear at the top of the home stretch and wide on the course, but were caught unawares as Touch Of Land came scraping along the inside rail on new ground that will be used on Sunday.
The Jockey Club's executive director of racing, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, was visibly unhappy with the incident, quickly surveying the divots in the track from Touch Of Land's gallop but stating that he was more concerned at the safety issues.
'With all the press photographers with their cameras there hanging over the rail, Touch Of land might have shied while he was at galloping pace,' he said.
But Touch Of Land moved strongly and without a hitch, pleasing his rider, and is expected to have another solid hit-out tomorrow, but the gallop 10 minutes later down the exterior of the track by Australia's Elvstroem certainly was the morning's eye-catcher.
'I couldn't be happier,' was the summary from trainer Tony Vasil, who was aboard Elvstroem. 'He had a solid 1,200m - he might have worked further than that but being quite a warm morning, I felt that was enough - quickened from the 600m, scooted from 400m and really sizzled that last 200m.'
The Danehill stallion was timed to run his last 400m in 21.8 seconds in a similar performance to that of Greys Inn on Tuesday morning.
'He really felt fantastic, and felt like he was enjoying it,' Vasil said. 'Some horses, you take them out and you have to make them work, others just go and do it and then you get a horse like Elvstroem this morning, really enjoying what he's doing. He is a very fit, happy horse - he only just needs to be kept ticking over between now and Sunday's race.'
All the overseas runners were out again yesterday, with Epalo, Grand Armee, Greys Inn and Phoenix Reach just taking an easy time around the all-weather circuit.
Grand Armee and Greys Inn were also taken down to the parade paddock to familiarise them with the surroundings.
