Singapore star Spalato and Group One-winning Japanese mare Hana's Goal will give the unofficial international trial races at Sha Tin on November 23 an extra dimension this year.
Hana's Goal, who acquitted herself well in two runs in Sydney's racing carnival in March and April before she won the All Aged Stakes over 1,400m at Randwick, is being aimed at the Group Two Jockey Club Mile, on the way to the Hong Kong Mile.
Spalato is the new wonder horse of the Lion City, unbeaten in six starts from 1,000m to the 2,000m of the Singapore Derby, and strolled in with the Luzerne Cup on Sunday (1,200m). He will be having his first look at Sha Tin in the Group Two Jockey Club Sprint (1,200m).
The Jockey Club Sprint, Mile and Cup, run this year on the same card, have been open to international visitors since 2009, but the avalanche of foreign runners has never happened, and only four have previously attempted to take the opportunity of a sight of the venue ahead of the Longines Hong Kong International Races in December.
Singapore's world champion sprinter Rocket Man dead-heated for first in the Jockey Club Sprint in 2010 before being beaten a nose on international day by J J The Jet Plane.
Another star Singapore sprinter, Super Easy, finished sixth in the Sprint in 2012 and went on to finish 10th to Lord Kanaloa in the Hong Kong Sprint.
The first year the option to run in the trials was available, Australian sprinter Scenic Blast was scratched with an injury and ultimately went first-up into the Hong Kong Sprint anyway, while Mike de Kock-trained Eagle Mountain's lead-up to the Hong Kong Cup fell in a heap when he finished second last in the Mile trial. He was able to improve for fifth on international day.
Hana's Goal won her Sydney Group One racing right-handed, so her ability to handle Sha Tin is not in question.
While Spalato has never raced this way of going, he did trial impressively right-handed in New Zealand before his export to Singapore.
