Willie to atone for Derby effort
With the Hong Kong Derby dream left in tatters from an interrupted preparation and a wide run in transit, striking Zabeel stallion Willie Detroy can rescue his once lofty reputation by taking out today's Audemars Piguet Dream Handicap (1,800m) at Sha Tin.
Willie Detroy arrived in Hong Kong with outstanding credentials, winning three of his 11 starts in Australia and New Zealand, while placing at Group One level behind Jymcarew and Eremein in the Canterbury Guineas.
He looked every part a Derby aspirant when stepped out at his local debut to score a strong win over Wealthy after being three wide without cover throughout and there were genuine excuses from his next outing when fifth to Sunny Sing in the Classic Mile after being slow away and copping a buffeting when looking for clear running.
His preparation for the Derby suffered a serious set back following the Classic Mile as the four-year-old required arthroscopic surgery to remove a chip from his left knee but to the credit of trainer Tony Cruz he still managed to have Willie Detroy take his place in the blue-riband event despite the operation being only six weeks earlier.
Willie Detroy's luck didn't improve in the Derby, knuckling when the gates opened and then being forced to race four wide on a limb throughout.
That, combined with a lack of training, meant his chips were spent before the home turn and he struggled into 10th place behind Viva Pataca.
Willie Detroy takes on the Derby placegetters Hail The Storm and Silver Sun today but the signs are positive that he can return to his best and still claim a feature event by the time the season is out.
Cruz has kept the work right up to the heavy-set Willie Detroy since the Derby and his final gallop with renowned smart trackworker Helene Pillaging, when jumping from the barriers and covering 400m in a swift 21.6 seconds, showed he was right at the top of his game again.
Willie Detroy will be in receipt of six pounds from Hail The Storm, compared to their Derby meeting at level weights, but the Caspar Fownes-trained gelding will prove the one to beat after being most reliable throughout the season.
The son of Metal Storm went into the Derby as one of the outsiders, given he was jumping from gate 14 and his previous failures when running on rain-affected ground. He was at the tail of the field at the 800m mark but put in a powerful finishing burst once coming to the outside in the straight to finish 13/4 lengths from Viva Pataca.
Silver Sun was also a surprise packet in the Derby, making a quantum leap in grade from a smart Class Two victory at Happy Valley 25 days earlier to run home powerfully in the final stages to finish a half-length behind Hail The Storm.
He also gets a six-pound swing at the weights over Hail The Storm today with a return to handicap conditions and with a slight drop in distance from an inside barrier, he makes plenty of appeal.
The standout among the older horses is the promising Flaming Lamborgini, especially as he gets a nine-pound swing in the weights over the rejuvenated last-start winner Beethoven.
Flaming Lamborgini's performance under 128 pounds in running second to Rice Field two starts back was outstanding and he lost no marks with his fourth to Beethoven last attempt in a race that was set up for the on-pace runners.
Trainer Danny Shum Chap-shing has opted for the addition of blinkers on the five-year-old and with the likelihood of a stronger pace than his last outing the consistent gelding gets his chance to land his fifth victory.
While David Hall has done a terrific job in getting Beethoven back to winning form, the handsome Zabeel gelding will find today's task much tougher with the steadier of 129 pounds.
