IT was Derby work day at Sha Tin yesterday morning with all the main protagonists for Sunday's focal point of the local calendar out on the grass track. Ivan Allan worked his almost certain Derby favourite, Mr Vitality, with his classy import Citadeed in a strong 1,200-metre piece. The work gave one very valuable insight - Citadeed has improved noticeably for his first-up effort over an inadequate 1,200 metres when he was run off his feet by Hong Kong Supreme's brilliant all-the-way effort. Following that effort, the betting had to be that Citadeed would miss the 1,800-metre Derby, given how his owner, Jockey Club steward Alan Li is not prepared to rush his horses, not even for the Derby, and given how Allan had his eye on some backend prizes for this classy four-year-old.
But Citadeed's work yesterday and the likelihood of David Hayes withdrawing all his horses from the Derby, means that Citadeed could well make it into the line-up after all.
And that must be good for racing as Citadeed, a Group Two winner in the States as well as third in the Group One Belmont Stakes which is a leg of the American Triple Crown, went really well alongside Mr Vitality. The work could well have flattered Citadeed, that much has to be recognised, as Mr Vitality is a notoriously lazy worker and usually only does the barest minimum. And Mr Vitality still appeals as an outstanding Derby candidate and it will be a major surprise if he is beaten.
He is very well in himself and his form is pounds ahead of that of his rivals. But the way Citadeed has come out of his pipe-opener behind Hong Kong Supreme, and the way he worked yesterday, it is sorely tempting to suggest that should he get into the Derby lineup, he should figure in tierce calculations. He will be ridden by Allan's accomplished apprentice Stanley Chin who yesterday rode Citadeed and has generally done plenty with him at trackwork. Chin finished second to Super Fit on All Thrills in the Derby two seasons ago.
French champion Thierry Jarnet rode Citadeed on his debut in the territory, but he will now partner Michael's Choice in the Derby. Yesterday Michael's Choice worked with stablemate and Biancone's form horse for the Derby, Deauville. They swung through their grass gallop in a fluent 1:22.1 for 1,200 metres with a most pleasing final 400 metres in 23.3 seconds. It was impossible to split them though most observers' gut feeling was that Deauville, runner-up to Mr Vitality in the Derby trial, had the slight edge over Michael's Choice whose record reads four starts for three wins and a second.
Michael's Choice is improving all the time. Each win has been better than the last but the Derby may just come too soon for him. John Moore worked his leading Derby contender, Irish 2,000 Guineas runner-up Adjareli without the blinkers he wore when racing fiercely in the Derby trial in which he ran third. Adjareli has definitely improved for that outing and yesterday worked all over his stablemate and fellow first-season Irish import, Lucky Lord.
