It isn't this column's practice to run advertisements for friends (or enemies, of whom there are many more so don't get any ideas), but an objective word in praise of David Price's Price Bloodstock operation is not out of place after its 400th win on Sunday with Young Talent.
At a time of considerable discussion at Sports Road about whether and how to license and regulate the activities of people who sell horses to Hong Kong's owners, in an effort to root out those taking unfair advantage, Price Bloodstock's principal doesn't feel he has too many concerns. The process might even help reveal if 400 wins and HK$386 million in stakes are records for an agency and, if not, we're only too happy to give a plug for whoever has the records. The firm probably always will be best known for Silent Witness, who briefly gave Price a deity complex when owner Archie da Silva constantly described the horse as "a gift from God".
Price clearly saw the future when he made a rare comment after the presentation when Silent Witness won his fifth race, his first black type success, downing then champion sprinter and horse of the year Grand Delight in the 2003 Sha Tin Vase.
He quipped that every overseas owner thinking about running in the Hong Kong Sprint six months later should be sent a video of the win to see if they still wanted to come. It was almost two years until Silent Witness finally met defeat.
There have been other big names: Entrapment, Sight Winner, Enthused, Prime Witness and Country Music all competed well at Group One level. There have been a few considerable and unexpected flops too (we are talking horses); most of his imports have been somewhere in between, with an 80 per cent winners to imports rate, very good when the vast majority are unraced horses.
The key to the operation is having brilliant buyers like John Foote and Merrick Staunton at sales in Australia and New Zealand and top trainers like Robert Smerdon, Patrick Payne and others willing to get horses up to speed knowing they won't keep them and still happy to see them do well here.
David Hall was one of those trainers, preparing Silent Witness to trial stage then having to wave him goodbye - a disappointment for any trainer - but he conceded it might have helped him get his licence here.
That so many clients return to buy their next horse from Price Bloodstock is the best advertisement for the operation, which won a "personal best" 42 races in 2013-14 and has already won 23 of the 293 decided this term.
Dicky Lui's shoulder a tender issue
Kim Kelly's untouchables are two "reasonable and permissibles" in for the season and who knows how many ahead, but there was a confusing sidelight to Dicky Lui Cheuk-yin's suspension for going too fast on Numero Uno. Lui reported a problem with his right shoulder, was stood down and had an MRI scan between the race and the inquiry that saw him banned for a month. Obviously, if his shoulder prevented him controlling Numero Uno, that lets him off the hook.
Stewards issued the usual style of release and noted that evidence was taken from an orthopaedic specialist, Dr Peter Tio Man-kwun, with respect to the MRI results. Then we read Lui was charged, pleaded guilty and banned, so it was a reasonable assumption there was nothing wrong with his shoulder.
But at the end of the release, Lui was ordered to undergo a further MRI and be cleared by Dr Tio before riding again. The inference was that Dr Tio said Dicky's shoulder is a serious problem, but the stewards rubbed him out anyway.
We were able to ring the chief steward and clarify that Dr Tio said there was some inflammation in the shoulder, but he didn't believe it played a role in how Lui rode. Some detail from the stewards might have assisted clarity that Lui was railroaded and his case done and dusted regardless of the MRI.
Flip side of Derby defeat: winning at Royal Ascot
What do Hong Kong's two Royal Ascot Group One sprint winners have in common? More later.
While the low number of entries for the HK$8 million Classic Mile is something of a surprise, we have to wonder if there has been a subtle change of thinking among owners and trainers of Derby aspirants.
Sure, there have been small Classic Mile fields in the recent past but full fields with reserves have been more the norm. Horses which could run have run in the Classic Mile, even some which were not entirely ready. And there seemed a perception that it was the required pathway to the Derby, a kind of proof of belonging.
This year, Luger is missing through illness but there are some fit horses which would start but appear to have chosen not to; Flying Moochi and Giant Treasure will be fortunate to get in off their 80 and 83 ratings, respectively, as a result.
Perhaps it's random, perhaps a sea change in mindset to run the horse suitably on the way to the big race with regard to distances and time between starts, and not in some preordained lead-up path.
And that brings us back to our question: what do Hong Kong's two Royal Ascot Group One sprint winners have in common? Answer - both Cape Of Good Hope and Little Bridge ran in the Derby. And both ran last, which doesn't seem unreasonable at 2,000m, given their life highlights happened from 1,000m to 1,200m.
KrisFlyer Sprint winner Green Birdie did somewhat better than that, finishing third in the Derby, although he too found his fame at 1,200m.
But the delicious fact is that sitting there right now at the top of the four-year-old ranks is Hong Kong Sprint runner-up, Peniaphobia, rated 123 and eligible, though not entered, for the Derby and with a whopping 17 points on second-rated Divine Calling.
Who knows, maybe that's how it works - if he wants to win at Ascot one day, he has to run.
