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Almond Eye smashes the record to win the Group One Japan Cup. What an incredible filly! – @WHR
It seems the incredible record-breaking performance of Almond Eye in Sunday’s Japan Cup broke the spirit of many of her competitors.
Top Aidan O’Brien stayer Capri will not come to Sha Tin for the Longines Hong Kong International Races after connections abandoned plans following a gruelling trip in the race.
The European, who had previously beaten home the likes of Cracksman and Rekindling while running well behind superstar Enable, had been picked to run in the Group One Hong Kong Vase (2,400m) but will no longer compete.
Capri disappointed in the Japan Cup, running 11th and was unable to make any ground from the back of the field while Almond Eye raced away to smash the track record.
“The ground was quick and the pace too fast. The winner finishing at 2:20.6 was too good,” jockey Ryan Moore said after the race.
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It has been confirmed Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe fourth-placegetter Waldgeist will travel to Hong Kong, the son of Galileo due to arrive at quarantine on Friday.
With Capri withdrawing, the Dermot Weld-trained Eziyra will make the move from the Hong Kong Cup (2,000m) to the Vase (2,400m).
John Size’s What Else But You secured a late addition into the Mile after finishing second in the Chevalier Cup on Sunday.
Returning crowd favourite Joao Moreira will ride Group One winning Japanese stayer Lys Gracieux in the Vase while 43-year-old Japanese star Yasunari Iwata will ride the Katsuichi Nishiura-trained Crocosmia.
Horses will begin arriving at the Sha Tin quarantine facility this week with Prince of Arran, Red Verdon and Latrobe all landing in Hong Kong from Melbourne on Monday night.
HKIR: Cup thrown wide open with Japanese raiders set to strike
The bulk of the arrivals are due to touch down later in the week with a nine strong contingent landing on Thursday night.
Trainer Jimmy Ting Koon-ho: HK$10,000 for a breach of Stewards’ Instruction 32 – Racing Incident Report
The rookie has done plenty right in his first three months of being a fully-fledged trainer in Hong Kong but he found himself on the wrong side of the stewards at the weekend after a mix-up with his stable numbers.
Ting was fined HK$10,000 for having too many horses in his stable on Sunday after a batch was released from the quarantine facility.
Perhaps he bit off more than he could chew after taking on one of departed trainer Michael Freedman’s horses while accepting the new batch of arrivals.
Jimmy Ting sitting pretty at top of trainers’ championship – ‘I’m surprised, too’
Stewards said Ting would be forced to lower his numbers by two to comply with official rules which determine trainers can have just 60 horses in their stables at one time unless they have boxes at Conghua which would then allow their numbers to be raised to 70.
To get his numbers back down, Ting retired his 10-year-old galloper Ocean Roar who will go out a winner after an impressive victory at Happy Valley last week along with moving Magic Success to rival trainer David Hall.
Chief steward Kim Kelly confirmed Ting reduced his stable numbers to the required amount by close of business on Monday, as requested.
“He’s had two transfers today plus a retirement,” he said. “It is just a matter that he will be monitored, as all trainers are to make sure that there is compliance out of fairness to all of the trainers.”
Ting is set to feel the pinch with four more horses set to make their way to his stable this weekend from quarantine after their 14-day monitoring period is finished, meaning he will have to offload more to avoid another run in with stewards.
