Armada set to return from lengthy break
The race of the season potentially became even bigger yesterday when Armada - champion miler for the 2006-07 season - was entered for the Group One Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup at Sha Tin on Sunday week.
However, rival trainer David Hall has been forced to wave the white flag early in his bid to guide Absolute Champion through his latest bout of foot soreness. The world's leading turf sprinter for 2006 was not among the 15 nominations for the 1,400 metre event.
If Armada does resume on Derby day, it will be exactly 12 months since he last raced, having finished second to Good Ba Ba in the Group Two Chairman's Trophy over 1,600m under weight-for-age conditions.
This morning at Sha Tin, Armada was scheduled to take an important step on his comeback trail by trialling over the straight 1,000m course. Ironically, Good Ba Ba will be among his opposition.
'He'll start in the trial and that will tell us a bit more about where he is and how we are going with him,' Size said last night.
'I've been quite pleased with the way he's been going, but he hasn't had any real pressure on him yet.
'He's entered for the Queen's Silver Jubilee only because entries have closed so early. But until I see him trial, monitor his recovery and then see how he works subsequent to that, it's too early to say he'll definitely be running.'
Armada's long absence came after Size aborted his spring campaign in early April last year, when the chestnut was preparing for the Champions Mile for which he would have been favourite.
Although New Zealand-bred Armada did not have a major injury, Size said he felt the gelding was 'tired' and 'not himself'.
Instead of persisting with the 2007 Stewards' Cup hero, he opted to put him away and give him a good break.
Absolute Champion was found to be sore in the right front foot the morning after the Group One Chairman's Sprint Prize (February 17).
The gelding's front feet have been an ongoing issue for Hall, although he was able to have him sufficiently sound to score an upset win over Sacred Kingdom in the Centenary Sprint Cup (1,000m) at Sha Tin in late January.
This is the second year Absolute Champion has been aimed at the Queen's Silver Jubilee but been unable to make it. Last year, he was running a temperature and had an elevated white cell count in the week before the race, won in his absence by Joyful Winner.
Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup entries (Group One, 1,400m): Armada, Danacourt, Down Town, Good Ba Ba, Joy And Fun, Joyful Winner, King Encosta, Pocket Money, River Jordan, Sacred Kingdom, Scintillation, Slow Waltz, Sunny Power, Survey Survey, Tiber.
