'At 1,000 metres, he may just run out of race,' says trainer of Into The Night Australian trainer Keith Dryden may be on his first trip away from home but he only has two concerns regarding his in-form speed demon Into The Night going into Sunday's $10 million Hong Kong Sprint. The first is the 1,000-metre up the Sha Tin straight - 'it may be just a bit short for him,' Dryden observed. The other is Hong Kong's unbeaten star Silent Witness. Respected international racing form analyst Ken Goodwill believes Dryden has every right to be concerned. Goodwill, who frames the markets for the Michael Eskander organisation in Melbourne, has marked Silent Witness a $1.75 favourite to defend the Sprint crown for Hong Kong and bring up his eighth successive win. Dryden flew into Hong Kong on Friday and was on hand yesterday morning to supervise Into The Night, under track rider Chris McMullen, doing a major piece of work on the Sha Tin all-weather dirt track. Galloping in bright sunshine at 9am, Into The Night rolled sweetly and fluently over 800 metres in 50.4 seconds, dashing up the straight in 22.7 seconds and covering the final 200m in an impressive 11.01. 'I wanted him to go five furlongs at a working gallop, and just sprint up the straight,' Dryden said. 'Chris didn't let him go at any stage and said he felt really good. 'I'm very pleased with the way he's travelled, and the way he's done since he's been here.' Into The Night, a last-start winner of a Listed race on the final day of the Melbourne Cup carnival under 128 pounds, is in the best form of his career. At his previous start he was second to Ancient Song in the Group One Salinger Stakes down the straight 1,200 metres at Flemington. 'The Salinger is run over 1,200m and the Listed race was over 1,100m. My only concern here is that at 1,000 metres, he may just run out of race. 'I would really prefer the race to be a fraction longer than 1,000m, but he'll get home strongly,' Dryden said. 'The other concern is naturally Silent Witness. He's obviously very smart and he's been beating the best local horses convincingly.' British sprinter Acclamation followed Into The Night, at a respectful distance, but was not as impressive as the Canberra sprinter. Acclamation went 1,200 metres in 1:23.4, the last 400 metres in 24.3 seconds. Cox Plate hero Fields of Omagh looked nice and bright, doing pacework over 1,400 metres and coming home the final 200m in 14.3 seconds. The Rubiton gelding looked in prime order and showed any visible sign of having been flattened by his run on a heavy track in the Japan Cup. He will contest the 2,400-metre Hong Kong Vase, and will be ridden by former Hong Kong club jockey Steven King. South African speed machine National Currency was handled by his race rider Weichong Marwing, working down a leisurely 400 metres on the outside of the course proper in 28.9. Goodwill has National Currency rated the clear second pick behind Silent Witness in the Sprint at $5.00, followed by International Sprint Trial runner-up Cheerful Fortune at $7.00. News that reigning Horse of the Year Grand Delight impressively won a trial on the all-weather track on Friday morning saw that horse tighten back into $10.00 on the fourth line of Hong Kong Sprint betting. Goodwill agrees with British bookmakers and has installed Frankie Dettori's mount Falbrav as favourite for the $18 million Hong Kong Cup, but at an even shorter quote. Falbrav, winner of four Group One races this year, is rated a $1.90 favourite for the Cup, ahead of runaway Newmarket Champion Stakes winner Rakti $4.20 and Japan's evergreen Eishin Preston at $6.00.
