Connections keen on royal ascot test for fast-rising country music

Hong Kong could potentially have a new international sprinting ambassador in the wake of Country Music running such a sterling second to unbeaten Silent Witness. The Australian-bred four-year-old has now run up the straight 1,000-metre course seven times for three wins and four seconds - two of those behind the all-conquering Witness in Group One, weight-for-age races.

Archie da Silva, the owner of Silent Witness, is also a member of the Hong Kong Country Racing Club Syndicate which races Country Music. Both horses were purchased through Hong Kong-based Australian agent David Price. Da Silva suggested that Country Music would be an ideal horse for the group two King's Stand Stakes over 1,000m at York, which is staging the Royal Ascot carnival in June. This is the race won by Australian sprinter Choisir two years ago.

Trainer Tony Cruz took the idea on board and wondered out loud about where Country Music would fit in terms of international ratings. He ran second yesterday with a domestic rating of 110 that will be lifted again today when Ciaran Kennelly and his men go through the results and make their adjustments. However, assuming Silent Witness has hit his usual international mark of 123 once again, Country Music would have registered a rating of 117 or 118 for his second and that's more than enough to make him competitive against the bulk of English sprinters.

Last night, Cruz asked jockey Felix Coetzee for his input and the South African master gave the idea an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Although his prime form has been at the minimum trip, Country Music will press on and take his chance against Silent Witness once more in the group one Chairman's Sprint Prize (1,200m) at Sha Tin on April 3. 'That's the only race for him,' Cruz explained. 'I know he's failed a couple of times at 1,200 metres but there have been some excuses on each of those occasions. In the sort of form he's showing at the moment, he deserves his chance.'

And of the way Country Music is now rocketing up the ratings? 'Five points of rating penalty for one million bucks [second-prize money]? Man, that's not a bad deal.'