Brilliant Prix de l'Abbaye winner Namid is being aimed for the $7 million Hong Kong Sprint on December 17 in a move that will add real glamour to the event.
Namid is likely to clash with the John Hammond-trained Nuclear Debate, who won the Longchamp race last year, and Hong Kong hero Best Of The Best who failed to fire in Tokyo on the same day as the Abbaye.
Namid's success was one of three Group One winners at the Parisian track on the day for Irish ace Johnny Murtagh who has been the European season's big success story with victories on Sinndar in the Epsom and Irish Derbys and the Arc and Namid in the Abbaye.
Like Sinndar, he is trained by John Oxx at The Curragh and will give the well-respected trainer a great chance of winning the Group Three event.
Namid is owned by Lady Clague, widow of the late Sir Douglas Clague, who was the driving force behind the Hutchison empire in its early days.
He was a chairman of stewards of the then Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club and raced horses both here and in Europe where his widow has kept the tradition alive.
Namid won the 1,000-metre unofficial sprint championship of Europe by 1.5 lengths in a time of 55.1 seconds which is shifting along.
