France's Vision d'Etat streaked ahead of more favored rivals to take the Hong Kong Cup on Sunday, handing its rider the most wins in the city's international races.
Trained by Eric Libaud and ridden by Olivier Peslier, the four-year-old dominated the high-class field in the 20 million Hong Kong dollar ($2.6 million) race, the highlight of the glittering Cathay Pacific International Races.
"He was a bit lazy down the backstretch but he behaves like this when he is at his best, like at Royal Ascot when he won the Prince of Wale's Stakes in June this year," a jubilant Peslier said after snatching the Cup.
"But this is what he does when he is relaxed and when he is in good form. I didn't want to get to the lead too soon because I was worried he would try to stop but he kept fighting to the line today."
The French jockey said the horse had some problems with its leg earlier. But after these were resolved, it just "kept running like a rabbit."
Vision d'Etat showed an impressive burst of speed in the home straight, pulling wide from Hong Kong's Collection and Britain's Presvis, which came second and third respectively.
South Africa's Eagle Mountain, the winner of the Cup last year, only managed fifth.
The 2,000-meter race made Peslier the jockey with the most wins -- a total of seven -- in the meeting.
French filly Daryakana won the 2,400-meter Hong Kong Vase. Britain's Spanish Moon, tipped as a possible winner, finished runner-up.
The victory put Gerald Mosse, another French jockey, next in line to Peslier, with six wins.
Mosse said the filly's performance was the best he had seen.
"She doesn't look like she could be that strong. She never did that kind of performance. But definitely she has a heart bigger than herself," the French rider said after the race.
"I know she's given a great turn of foot on the straight. She made it. I am very happy."
Daryakana held off the challenge of local supreme Viva Pataca, owned by Macau's gaming tycoon Stanley Ho and ridden by Australia's Darren Beadman, which finished sixth in place.
Great Britain's Youmzain, ridden by Kieren Fallon and the first horse to finish runner-up in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on three successive occasions, only came 10th.
The French victory did not affect the mood of the thousands who filled the giant stands on a sunny day at the city's Sha Tin course, as Hong Kong horses outclassed a strong overseas challenge by grabbing the top four positions in the Hong Kong Mile and the 1,200-meter Hong Kong Sprint.
Good Ba Ba, trained by Derek Cruz and owned by John Yuen, made history after it became the first horse to win the Hong Kong Mile three years in a row. Its overwhelmed rider Olivier Doleuze knelt on the turf and bowed twice to the applause of the audience.
"It's like a dream," he told the media after the race, which saw some close bunching. "In a race like this, you could choose to have heart and believe in your horse, and I did that."
Sacred Kingdom, ridden by Brett Prebble and trained by Ricky Yiu, powered to the line to take the title in the Hong Kong Sprint ahead of One World, ridden by Beadman and trained by Hong Kong's John Moore.
The annual meeting is one of the world's richest, alongside marquee events on the racing calendar such as America's Triple Crown, the Dubai World Cup and Royal Ascot in Britain
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment