Moonlight Cloud shines in line-up for Hong Kong International Races
French mare, Lord Kanaloa and Just a Way may head foreigners chasing HK$72m in prize money
Sensational French mare Moonlight Cloud, Japan's champion sprinter Lord Kanaloa and new middle-distance star Just A Way could head the big foreign names as HK$72 million in prize money is carved up across four majors at the Longines Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) on December 8.
The names of 241 first-stage entries from 19 countries were released on Monday by the Jockey Club, down from 267 a year ago, and many of the 68 Group One winners listed will not be here, but Moonlight Cloud (Mile), Lord Kanaloa (Sprint), British four-time Group One winner Sky Lantern (Cup) and ageing French superstar Cirrus des Aigles (Cup) are all expected.
Just A Way's name might not have caught the eye a week ago, but he elevated himself on Sunday to a place among the best 2,000m horses in the world when he thrashed Japanese Horse Of The Year Gentildonna by four lengths in the Tenno-Sho (Autumn) with Eishin Flash, who ran so well without luck in the Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Sha Tin this year, another two lengths away in third.
It was his first Group One win and connections of Just A Way have hinted he may now bypass the Japan Cup (2,400m) to stay in his preferred distance in the Hong Kong Cup.
A trip to the HKIR is not certain either for Cirrus des Aigles, runner-up in the Champion Stakes in Britain, but trainer Corine Barande-Barbe said she was leaning towards that option for the eight-year-old. It would be the fifth successive visit for the gelding, although he missed the cup last year after suffering an injury two days before the race.
The US is the only major foreign jurisdiction with an increase in HKIR nominations - 36 this year up from 30 in 2012 - although entries from the US only infrequently convert to actual runners on the day.