Leg trouble forces Tiger Hill camp to abandon Cup bid
German challenger Tiger Hill is out of the $10 million Hong Kong Cup and crack New Zealand jockey Jim Cassidy is on standby to ride Kenwood Melody for champion trainer David Hayes in the $7 million Hong Kong Mile.
As the serious countdown began to Sunday's International Races renewal, there were long faces in the German camp when Tiger Hill, who disappointed in the Japan Cup, was ruled out of the final leg of the Emirates World Series Racing Championship on veterinary grounds.
The trouble was a swollen right fore tendon which, when an ultrasound scan was taken, confirmed damage to the body of the tendon, making him unfit to race.
Cassidy is odds-on to ride Kenwood Melody, having won on the horse in Sydney earlier in its career.
Said Hayes: 'The call lies with Basil [Marcus] and I don't expect him to make it until tomorrow morning. If he does go for Kenwood Melody then Robbie Fradd will ride Resfa.' All eyes were on Rogan Josh yesterday morning as he worked out for his Melbourne Cup-winning jockey, John Marshall.
His clash with Hong Kong's Japan Cup hero Indigenous in the $7 million Vase is the highlight of the renewal and there is no doubt that Rogan Josh is ready for it.
Marshall said: 'I was very pleased with his work and I have no doubt that he is going to be absolutely ready for Sunday's race.
'He's got heaps of ability and he has a ton of fight about him. He's just a great horse to ride.' Record-breaking Melbourne Cup trainer Bart Cummings looked pleased when reflecting on the gallop which he watched with winning owner Wendy Green and son John-Paul, who had flown in from Wales.
'He was a little unsettled for the first two days he was here but he's as fit as I've ever seen him. He's on his feed - he never leaves anything - and looked very good in the gallop. Yes, he's ready,' said Cummings.
There was plenty of action at Sha Tin from the overseas runners in the four races but local horses were waiting until today.
The excellent New Zealand filly Sunline is in tip-top shape, according to jockey Greg Childs, who has ridden her for her last four wins.
Childs, who knows Sha Tin very well from separate stints here, is concerned about the barrier draw for the extremely tricky 2,000-metre start, which is almost on top of the first bend.
'In the Cox Plate, Sunline jumped right out of the gate and, from that point on, she dictated terms. She was dominant, much too strong for the rest of the field.
'To do that here you would need an inside alley at that start. So I would be hoping she draws in the first six,' said Childs.
There is a growing body of opinion that French raider Jim And Tonic, who has seen connections leave Hong Kong with pockets bulging from two previous winning efforts, could still be the one to beat in the Cup.
Trainer Francois Doumen said: 'He has been a bit unlucky at his last two starts but he's back to a track he really likes. He must run a very good race.'
