Ba Ba clash on the cards for Sacred Kingdom
It says much about Ricky Yiu Poon-fie's confidence in his comeback champion Sacred Kingdom that his planning has already gone way beyond today's Group one Centenary Sprint Cup at Sha Tin.
Sacred Kingdom has been off the scene for nine months with injury and the norm in such situations is for a trainer to be hopeful but guarded, spending plenty of time on his knees praying that his pride and joy can perform respectably and return in one piece.
Not so with Yiu, who is so confident that Sacred Kingdom will reclaim his pedestal that he's already pencilled in a grudge match against Good Ba Ba in the Queen's Silver Jubilee Plate over 1,400 metres at Sha Tin on March 14 and an initial test at the metric mile.
'I'm more than happy with him,' Yiu said yesterday after putting the finishing touches to the world's champion turf sprinter for 2007 and 2008. 'He's pulled up fine from his barrier trial and I've been very comfortable with everything he's done since. This horse is a genius and I'm just looking forward to getting him back out there,' he said.
Sacred Kingdom is unbeaten in two first-up races, both down the Sha Tin 1,000 metres straight, scene of today's HK$4.5 million weight-for-age encounter.
'I'm confident that he's ready,' Yiu continued. 'My staff and the vet [Dr Bronte Forbes] have been looking at him three times a day, and the club has a new farrier from Australia who has his feet in great condition.'
Although today's race contains established sprinters like Enthused and Sunny Power, the upset Hong Kong Sprint hero Inspiration and the exceptionally progressive Kildare, Yiu is already looking forward with the Australian-bred son of Coolmore stallion Encosta de Lago.
'He'll run in this race and then the Chairman's Sprint Prize [1,200m on Feb 22] before stepping up to 1,400 metres for the Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup,' the trainer said.
'When he was at his peak last year, I always thought he would manage a mile and now that he's a year older and stronger, he should be even better suited.'
As for the prospect of bumping Good Ba Ba - the highest-rated horse in the history of Hong Kong racing - in the Queen's Silver Jubilee and the Champions Mile, Yiu was to the point.
'We met him once and I think any dispassionate observer of that race would have to say Sacred Kingdom was unlucky,' he said. 'You need luck in any race, but our last meeting against Good Ba Ba told us what we needed to know - he's definitely good enough.'
The new arrival in the weight-for-age ranks is Kildare, who has shot through the grades like a bullet, from Class Three to Group Three and now all the way to racing's top level.
'This is his best trip and I thought he was value for a bigger margin in his last win because he met with traffic in the last little bit and he did well to get back up and win,' said trainer Derek Cruz. 'He's got to take the next step now but I don't see why he can't cope with it.'
The unlucky horse behind Kildare in the Bauhinia Sprint Trophy last start was Sunny Power, who gets a massive 20 pound turnaround at the weights today and will be partnered by Olivier Doleuze.
Healthy return
The prize Sacred Kingdom & Co will be racing for in the Centenary Sprint Cup at Sha Tin today: $4.5m
