For the second time in as many years, John Moore will have numbers in his favour but he is being made to earn the hard way anything he gets from today's Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Internationals at Sha Tin, with Collection his latest runner to throw out a question mark.
'I've never been a drinker but can anyone recommend a good whisky?' winced Moore yesterday after Collection was reported mildly lame in his right fore foot. 'I'm still going into these races with high hopes. Able One and Collection have got great chances from their good draws, but I would just say to the punters that they should keep in mind that we have had these hiccups close to the race.'
Earlier injury concerns with the Moore-trained Able One (Mile) and One World (Sprint) were cleared away yesterday, at least in terms of their participation, and the French-trained Vase runner, Board Meeting, has also been passed.
But the Aidan O'Brien-trained stayer Joshua Tree is under a cloud with lameness in his right foreleg, and he and Collection will be inspected by the Jockey Club vets this morning.
'The senior farrier shod him after he worked on Thursday morning and there was some bruising to the sole of the foot. We had to re-shoe him today and he has improved throughout the day,' Moore said last night. 'I expect he will be fine to run, but these types of races happen once a year and they are hard enough to win anyway, without these things cropping up.'
A past winner of the Hong Kong Cup in 1993 with Motivation and the Sprint two years ago for the same ownership with Inspiration, Moore has been Hong Kong's leading top-grade trainer in recent seasons.
