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Murray Bell

Cruz's star  five-year-old set to prove his real class

When Tony Cruz gave Hello Pretty his first trial this season, the chestnut's six length win over champion miler Bullish Luck was hailed as introducing 'the next big thing in Hong Kong racing'.

Three months down the track, that prophecy can reach its fulfilment when Hello Pretty lines up for his target race, the $20 million Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup.

However, it won't be any stroll in the park as Hello Pretty's clash with last year's Cup 1-2 - Vengeance Of Rain and Pride - promises to be not only the highlight of the meeting but perhaps the best race seen in Hong Kong since Falbrav defeated Rakti and Elegant Fashion in this very race three years ago.

Hello Pretty has had two starts for Cruz and won them both, kicking off with a hard-fought win in the Ladies' Purse on October 15.

Hello Pretty was headed in the final 200m by Good Ba Ba but battled back gamely to win the race - a huge effort considering he had topweight of 131 pounds and was first-up at 1,800m.

The fact he was resuming, and carrying the big weight, served to disguise the key quality in Hello Pretty's arsenal - his ability to accelerate. But there was no hiding it at his second when he brilliantly won the  Hong Kong Cup Trial (2,000m) on November 12.

Jockey Brett Prebble steered Hello Pretty straight into the box seat, behind High Intelligent and Saturn, and followed Saturn when Danny Nikolic made a forward move to take up the running at the 800m.

Hello Pretty's finishing speed in that race is his major credential to win this event, because acceleration is the hallmark of a great racehorse.  In the  Derby Trial in March, when trained by Francis Lui Kin-wai, Hello Pretty won by 13/4 lengths from Sunny Sing - already a Group One winner of the Classic Mile - at level weights. He personally ran his last 800m in 45.7 seconds, the last 400m in 22.5 seconds.

Last start in the Cup Trial, Hello Pretty was even more dominant. The chestnut raced through the gears to individually clock 45.1 seconds for his last 800m, and 22.1 for the stretch run from the 400m - championship speed.

Cruz  has undoubtedly added a few lengths to Hello Pretty this year and watching the gelding's trackwork over the past few weeks, it's hard not to reach the conclusion that the living legend of Hong Kong racing has extracted even further improvement in the run-up to his target event.

Vengeance Of Rain has been perfectly prepared for this race by  David Ferraris, and will be mighty hard for Hello Pretty to hold out.

Vengeance Of Rain has had five starts over the Sha Tin 2,000m circuit and won them all, including  the Derby, the QEII Cup and the Hong Kong Cup.

He has returned from his New Zealand rehabilitative holiday looking a million dollars, and his work since his late-closing fifth to Armada in the Mile Trial three weeks ago has been simply superlative.

Vengeance Of Rain won last year's Cup at the expense of Pride, and the European experts argue that the mare's form has been even better this year. She's finished second in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and won the Champion Stakes at Newmarket at her past two starts.

Viva Pataca was hailed by Christophe Soumillon as our 'next champion horse' in the wake of a sparkling win in the  Derby. But while he meets Hello Pretty on five pounds better terms from their Cup Trial meeting, the reality is that the Marju gelding has five lengths to find, plus whatever improvement Hello Pretty has made subsequently.



Hello Pretty's on song for glory