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Murray Bell

All eyes on top Hong Kong milers battling for HKIR spots

The big guns  are finally being rolled out for Sunday's Sha Tin Trophy, in which the race to win places  at the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races in December begins in earnest.

The majority of these 14 runners  hold HKIR entries but it will be the performances of last year's Group One winners Bullish Luck, to be ridden by Gerald Mosse, and Vengeance Of Rain (Anthony Delpech) who will command the most attention.

Bullish Luck hasn't raced since his brave fourth in the Yasuda Kinen on June 5, in which stablemate Silent Witness was a close-up third.

Bullish Luck ran third in this race last year before advancing to that remarkable, close second to Alexander Goldrun in the Group One $18 million Hong Kong Cup.

Trainer Tony Cruz has given Bullish Luck a solid preparation, including a pleasing fourth to Silent Witness in a 1,200-metre barrier trial on September 16. And on Thursday, the big bay gelding showed his readiness with a sizzling 400m on the all-weather track, clocking 21.9 seconds in company with Perfect Partner.

Mosse, who was on board Bullish Luck when they rolled Silent Witness on that fateful afternoon in May in the Champions Mile, has retained the ride at the request of owner Wong Wing Keung.

Stable jockey Felix Coetzee will handle all-the-way Hong Hong Gold Cup hero, Perfect Partner, who has drawn awkwardly in barrier 12.

Probably the only star missing from the line-up, among Hong Kong's top milers and stayers, is Ain't Here.

Vengeance Of Rain will have been improved by one run from a spell, when a late-closing eighth to Fokine in the National Day Cup at 1,400 metres.

The Zabeel gelding found the 1,400m much too short for him on that occasion, but was a winner first-up up at 1,600m earlier this year.

Vengeance Of Rain worked nicely over 1,200m on the all-weather track on Tuesday morning and expected to have his final hit-out on the same circuit this morning under race rider Anthony Delpech.

Bowman's Crossing ran a slashing first-up third in the National Day Cup and is working towards his third HKIR day.

The David Oughton-trained gelding ran a solid second to Lucky Owners in the 2003 Hong Kong Mile.

Bowman's Crossing was ridden by Michael Rodd when resuming, but the Australian has a commitment to John Moore to ride Best Gift on Sunday. His place has been taken by big-race rider Brett Prebble, who won the Sha Tin Trophy last year on Ain't Here.

Tony Millard will be looking for a big turnaround in the form of Sambuca, who went poorly in the Chief Executive's Cup when resuming from a spell on September 4.

However, Sambuca has since trialled impressively for Douglas Whyte, who stays with him on Sunday.

Tiber, another from the  Moore yard, lost no admirers with his brave second to Fokine in the National Day Cup when he conceded 13 pounds to the winner and was beaten only a neck.

The British private purchase won the Hong Kong Classic Mile in February, 2004, and is a genuine big-race performer.



Trophy gives Luck and Rain a chance