Boxie Posted April 6, 2018 Share Posted April 6, 2018 (edited) Star gallops on Thursday morning. Photos: Kenneth Chan TONY CRUZ ‘He has the correct mindset’: Pakistan Star goes from sideshow to racehorse Trainer Tony Cruz believes the five-year-old has turned the corner and can finish top three in Sunday’s Group Two Chairman’s Trophy by Michael Cox on Friday, April 6, 2018 10:03 AM 0Comments For close to two years now, Pakistan Star has been more sideshow than racehorse but trainer Tony Cruz believes the one-time prodigy turned problem child’s rehabilitation is now complete. “He has a racing mind now, not like before, he was thinking too much,” Cruz said. “He has the correct mindset and I think it will show.” Pakistan Star’s two runs since dramatically stopping in a race last June and again in an October trial have been sound but it is the five-year-old’s attitude in the morning that gives Cruz hope. “He just gets on with his work, no trouble, just straight forward,” he said. The trainer has been pleased with Pakistan Star’s two fourth-placed finishes, the last of those a sound effort with top weight in a slowly run mile that drew boos from the hard markers in the Sha Tin outer. The gelding tackles the same distance in Sunday’s Group Two Chairman’s Trophy in which Joao Moreira will be given simple instructions. “Follow the leader,” Cruz said. NEWSLETTER SIGN-UPGet updates direct to your inbox Best Bets Racing News By registering you agree to our T&Cs & Privacy Policy That leader, Cruz hopes, will be stablemate and Horse of the Year candidate Time Warp, who has produced two extraordinary Group One efforts at 2,000m this season. As a Group One winner in the last 12 months, Time Warp is one of two horses, along with Beauty Generation, who will carry five pounds more than his rivals in the HK$4 million feature. Cruz hasn’t given up hope the electric front-runner can reproduce his wire-to-wire efforts back in trip but a lot will hinge on whether jockey Zac Purton can get a clean start. “He is a front-runner, that’s his game, so if he misses the start like last time he doesn’t have a chance. Last time he was back at a mile in the Stewards’ Cup, so when he blew the start and it was game over,” Cruz said. “But if he can lead he will be hard to catch. Actually, I’m really happy with both Time Warp and Pakistan Star. They are in great condition and I believe they will still run a big race – I think they will both be finishing in the first three.” Cruz heads into the race three-handed but, not surprisingly, isn’t as bullish about Beauty Only’s chances. The seven-year-old hasn’t won since his 2016 Hong Kong Mile victory and hasn’t placed in eight starts this season. “His prime time might be over,” Cruz said. “But he wasn’t helped by that slow pace last start, he had no chance, so maybe with a better speed up front he can run a better race.” MORE ON THIS STORY ‘I really haven’t gone out much or spoken to anybody’: Kerm Din reveals the pressure ahead of Pakistan Star’s Gold Cup return NEXT FROM RACING JOHN SIZE Weight not the only factor in Sprint Cup: John Size FIRST LOOK Zac Purton chasing Perfection as he tries to close gap in… BLACK BOOK A couple of newcomers catch the eye at Sha Tin CASPAR FOWNES Joyful Trinity off to Singapore? Caspar Fownes says wait… ON THE RAILS Is there still a place for a stable-retained rider in Hong… HONG KONG JOCKEY CLUB Godolphin stars Hawkbill and Blue Point bound for Hong Kong JOHN SIZE Ping Hai Star set to target QE II as John Size unveils… A DAY AT THE RACES No more Mr Nice Guy – can Joao Moreira win a fourth… NEXT MEETING SUNDAY 8 APR, 2018 DETAILS READ FULL ARTICLE NEXT MEETING SUNDAY 8 APR, 2018 DETAILS Alberto Sanna gives Gold Mount a pat after winning the Class One Hong Kong Vase on Wednesday night. Photo: Kenneth Chan TONY CRUZ Alberto Sanna has the Midas touch at Happy Valley, snaring a double with Gold Mount and Golden Kid Everything the Italian jockey touches is turning to gold, producing some terrific rides on Wednesday night to collect a double and continue his excellent form by Alan Aitken on Thursday, March 29, 2018 12:09 AM 0Comments The Hong Kong career of Italian jockey Alberto Sanna is starting to look like a case study in persistence after he carried off a double at Happy Valley on Wednesday night including his biggest win yet on Gold Mount. In February, Sanna had been in the doldrums, with two wins since the start of his stint in December, none for seven weeks and he wasn’t attracting the kind of support to change that. But Sanna only worked himself harder, waiting for his luck to turn, and has ridden seven winners in the past six weeks and on Wednesday night not only won the Class One on Gold Mount, but he was loaded up with praise by the horse’s trainer, former champion rider, Tony Cruz. “I think Alberto Sanna is soon going to be hot property. Everyone likes him, he tries very hard and he gave this horse a perfect ride tonight,” Cruz said, as he admitted that Happy Valley hardly looked the right arena for a horse who comes from last in his races. “Happy Valley is a track for front-runners but I thought Gold Mount would be able to run here and run well. I told Alberto ‘you’ll be last all the way but the horse has a big finish – just stay inside, don’t come outside’ and he rode it perfectly.” A conspicuous last for the first 1,200m of the race, Sanna drew on the replays of Gold Mount’s wins for Gerald Mosse last season and Zac Purton earlier this campaign – both times never going around a horse. “Gerald was my idol when I was growing up and I saw how he won on him at Sha Tin and I tried to do the same,” Sanna said. “I think going inside keeps the horse focused on racing, keeps him concentrating. I wasn’t too worried when I was last because I was behind Eagle Way and Dinozzo, so I thought I was following the right horses. But when the turn came, they both went outside and I stayed in and that was the difference in the photo.” It was a golden double for Sanna, who had won the Class Five with a similar fence-hugging display on Golden Kid, and also for Cruz, who had won the other trophy event with California Whip (Joao Moreira). Cruz said the programme forced him to run Gold Mount on Wednesday night, looking for a suitable distance at 1,800m, but he will go back to the big time races at Sha Tin now. “A mile is too short, he can handle 1,800m but now he’ll go QE II Cup and possibly the Champions & Chater Cup over even further,” he said. John Moore said runner-up Eagle Way is unlikely to go to the QE II Cup, preferring to drop back to a handicap in the Queen Mother Memorial Cup over a more suitable 2,400m before the Champions & Chater Cup at that distance. It was a night for doubles, with Moreira also winning on Infinity Endeavour for John Size, Nash Rawiller landed two with Hero Time for Richard Gibson and Sharp Sailor for Danny Shum Chap-shing, which in turn gave Shum a pair. Hero Time made it two wins in succession with his victory, the four-year-old looking to have benefited from recent runs and improving his racing manners. “He was only a cheap horse but I came here confident from a good draw,” Gibson said. “We’ve done a bit of work on his starts and he was good tonight and he looks to be maturing well.” Jack Wong Ho-nam scored on Prince Harmony for Chris So Wai-yin but the win came at a cost with the apprentice also earning the dubious distinction of being the only victim of a careless riding charge in the stewards’ room. NEXT FROM RACING Japanese juggernaut descend on Dubai in record numbers ON THE RAILS ‘Softer’ Sha Tin dirt proves biased towards front-runners… RACE PREVIEW Ricky Yiu holds the aces as Jolly Banner can cause upset HONG KONG JOCKEY CLUB Apprentice Dylan Mo dislocates hip in barrier trial horror… JOAO MOREIRA Joao Moreira off to Sydney to try to snap Winx’s winning… HONG KONG JOCKEY CLUB Forward trial has Ferraris’ Amazing up to the mark after… HONG KONG JOCKEY CLUB Jockey Club set to spend at Aussie sales as quarantine… FIRST LOOK Michael Freedman hitting his stride as summer approaches NEXT MEETING WEDNESDAY 28 MAR, 2018 DETAILS READ FULL ARTICLE NEXT MEETING SUNDAY 8 APR, 2018 DETAILS Joao Moreira and Pakistan Star return to scale after being beaten by Southern Legend. Photo: Kenneth Chan JOAO MOREIRA Hong Kong’s most popular horse? It is not Pakistan Star any more The enigmatic five-year-old gets booed after being beaten as an odds-on favourite again by Michael Cox on Sunday, March 18, 2018 11:07 PM 0Comments The phrase “Hong Kong’s most popular horse” may be under review as it relates to Pakistan Star after the quirky galloper earned the ire of Sha Tin’s notoriously short-fused punters but connections remain upbeat about his future. Pakistan Star’s roller-coaster career continued with another defeat as odds-on favourite – the fifth time that has happened in 13 career starts – as the five-year-old ground to a flat fourth behind Southern Legend in a Class One handicap. A chorus of boos and profanities rang out as Pakistan Star returned to scale, mirroring the reaction in June last year after the horse stopped in a race as 1.2 favourite. “I don’t think he ran a bad race,” Moreira said, pointing to the slow early sectionals that allowed leader Southern Legend to steal the contest. “Given the way he likes to be ridden, to give him time to wind up and sprint home, the circumstances didn’t help. They went very slow in front and made it hard to make ground, in the end he finished less than two lengths behind the winner. So I am not disappointed. The most important thing is that he is back, he wants to race and he is a very happy horse. I think they’ve done a great job with him.” Trainer Tony Cruz said coming back to a mile second-up, especially after such a hard first-up run at Group One level, was a factor. “I thought he ran well considering it was over a mile,” Cruz said. “He obviously needs further than that now but this was the only race we could run him in.” Cruz confirmed the rest of Pakistan Star’s schedule for the season, with the next target the Group Two Chairman’s Trophy on April 8, followed by the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup three weeks later and the Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup over 2,400m on May 27. For winning trainer Caspar Fownes, Southern Legend looms as a much-needed marquee horse for a stable that has lacked big names since the retirement of Lucky Nine and Military Attack. Southern Legend was third in the Group One Stewards’ Cup in January and will now follow the schedule to the Group One Champions Mile on April 29. “He keeps on improving and his rating will now be over 120,” Fownes said. “Obviously we are looking forward to the races this season but I think he will be at his best in December for the international races.” Fownes’ stable transfer Joyful Trinity also found form with a third and the trainer is eyeing a trip to Singapore’s Kranji Mile on May 26 with the rejuvenated six-year-old. “I don’t think the Singapore Turf Club will be inviting our very best milers but Joyful Trinity might be the type they are looking for,” he said. NEXT FROM RACING BMW HONG KONG DERBY Everything comes together as Ping Hai Star wins vintage HK… JOHN MOORE Six years in the making, Damien Oliver back a winner in… BMW HONG KONG DERBY Ryan Moore, John Size take Hong Kong Derby with Ping Hai… BMW HONG KONG DERBY Class is key for horses aiming at HK$18 million Derby RACE PREVIEW John Size can draw on history to land his third Hong Kong… Pingwu Spark could go from giant to giant killer against Pakistan Star JOAO MOREIRA No Missile to fire but Joao Moreira still the one to beat… JOAO MOREIRA Joao Moreira back aboard Japanese stars on Dubai World Cup… NEXT MEETING SUNDAY 18 MAR, 2018 DETAILS READ FULL ARTICLE NEXT MEETING SUNDAY 8 APR, 2018 DETAILS Zac Purton gives the thumbs up after winning on Exultant over the Derby distance (2,000m) in December. Photos: Kenneth Chan BMW HONG KONG DERBY ‘Last time it fried his head’: how Exultant handles pressure cooker could be key, says Zac Purton Pre-race build-up and tricky starting point add to the challenge for Tony Cruz-trained stayer in Hong Kong Derby by Michael Cox on Friday, March 16, 2018 1:29 PM 0Comments It isn’t the two minutes it takes to run the BMW Hong Kong Derby that is the concern for Exultant, the key could be how the Tony Cruz-trained stayer handles the two minutes as the field parades behind the barriers. Positioned in front of the main grandstand and with a short run to the first turn, Sha Tin’s 2,000m starting point is not just tricky tactically, but its proximity to one of the most vocal crowds in world racing creates a pressure-cooker atmosphere. Classic Cup 2014 all over again? Zac Purton says Exultant’s education has to come before daring tactics “When the horses start to go into the gates the crowd starts to rumble,” said Exultant’s jockey, Zac Purton. “And for young, inexperienced horses it can be a little bit daunting. You just have to try to manage them the best you can.” Exultant’s preference for racing at the rear of the field means he won’t be part of the mad scramble for inside positions in the early stages, but Purton said the pre-race build-up has the potential to bring his highly strung gelding undone. Exultant was able to win easily at his only try over the course and distance in December, but that was without the presence of 60,000 screaming spectators, and even then it caused problems. Zac Purton pleased as Exultant stamps himself as a serious Hong Kong Derby contender “Last time he was in a race at this starting point it fried his head,” Purton said. “He was difficult going into the gates and that transferred into being very difficult to ride in the race. But his last run and his last trial has showed he has started to chill and I am hoping that is the case again.” Drawing barrier 12 places Exultant close to the crowd but Purton is not worried about the effect of the gate tactically. “Being so close to the crowd adds a little bit of salt and pepper to the situation, but really, the gate isn’t that important as he isn’t a horse that has a lot of speed. “The wide gates for Nothingilikemore and The Golden Age hurt their chances more than mine because they are horses that have to work across to go forward. Ping Hai Star has drawn out and has to deal with some pressure going into the first corner as well.” One chance that did draw well is Singapore Sling and barrier three has Purton marking the Tony Millard-trained South African import as “the one to beat”. “We’ve raced him twice and he has beaten us home twice,” Purton said. “The only doubt with him is whether or not he can run the 2,000 metres.” While Purton’s task at the start looks relatively simple, navigating a passage between or around tiring or flat-footed rivals on the home turn could prove more problematic. “There’s a lot of dead wood in the race and a lot of horses that are not going to be able to take me into the race if I end up behind them,” he said. NEXT FROM RACING ON THE RAILS Exceptional John Size now getting the recognition he… RACE PREVIEW Phantom of the Valley: Peter Ho’s Falcon set to fly ‘Ride every race like it’s my last’: Sanna’s mindset makes him a… BMW HONG KONG DERBY Derby hero Ping Hai Star now rated higher than Luger at… FIRST LOOK David Hall looks to Zac Purton for a change of Valley… BLACK BOOK Who will be winning soon? What Else But You BMW HONG KONG DERBY Everything comes together as Ping Hai Star wins vintage HK… BMW HONG KONG DERBY John Size is a Star – Ping Hai times his Derby run to… NEXT MEETING WEDNESDAY 21 MAR, 2018 DETAILS READ FULL ARTICLE NEXT MEETING SUNDAY 8 APR, 2018 DETAILS Pakistan Star returns to scale after racing in the Group One Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup on Sunday. Photos: Kenneth Chan TONY CRUZ Tony Cruz’s cult hero Pakistan Star to headline the undercard on Hong Kong Derby day The enigmatic galloper is poised to contest a Class One on March 18, while the main event is starting to look thin as fringe contenders opt out by Michael Cox on Thursday, March 1, 2018 4:47 PM 0Comments Pakistan Star is likely to carry top weight in a Class One mile on the BMW Hong Kong Derby day undercard but the main event is looking increasingly thin as connections of fringe contenders opt out of contesting the HK$20 million race. Trainer Tony Cruz said Pakistan Star would be likely to drop back to handicaps on March 18 after a strong fourth in his long-awaited return from a racing in last week’s Group One Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup. With a dearth of options available between now and Pakistan Star’s next major target, the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup on April 29, Cruz feels his horse needs more racing. “There is nowhere else for him to go and after so much time on the sidelines he needs to race,” Cruz said. “We want to run him in the biggest races but the only other option at Sha Tin between now and the QE II is the Group Two Chairman’s Trophy three weeks earlier. So he will have to run in the Class One, even if it means having top weight.” Pakistan Star was first-up for six months and it had been nearly eight months since his last competitive race when he chased a course record speed set by stablemate Time Warp in the Gold Cup. “It was a great effort and when you think about it he was first-up for nearly eight months because he stopped last time he ran,” Cruz said, referring to the “Pakistan Stop” incident in the Group Three Premier Plate last June. Cruz said his Derby fancy Exultant will trial over 1,600m on Tuesday along with stablemate Doctor Geoff. ‘Nothing wrong’ with Nothingilikemore but John Size will send star back to barrier school before Hong Kong Derby Exultant, along with the John Size-trained Nothingilikemore and Tony Millard’s Singapore Sling, appear to be the three stand-out picks for the Derby with all finishing in the top four in the first two legs of the four-year-old series. The Derby field will be released on Wednesday but trainers of some horses that could qualify have already indicated they will not press on to the race despite having the requisite rating. Freshman trainer Frankie Lor Fu-chuen will knock back a double chance to have his first Derby runner, confirming on Thursday that neither Morethanlucky nor Simply Brilliant would take part. “I spoke to Morethanlucky’s owners and the jockey [Karis Teetan] and we think that the horse’s best distance is 1,600m and he just would not get the 2,000m of the Derby,” Lor said. “Simply Brilliant was a good winner over 1,400m last time but the race was just too close. I didn’t want to jump from 1,400m to 2,000m, so we thought about the 1,800m race this weekend, but it was just too much for the horse. I wanted to make it work but the timing wasn’t right.” Caspar Fownes’ 87-rated Rise High was narrowly beaten in a Class Two mile last Sunday but the trainer said his horse isn’t up to taking on Derby-level competition yet. Singapore Sling leaps into Hong Kong Derby contention with Classic Cup upset “I think he will get to that level eventually but he isn’t there yet so we will just take our time,” he said. Richard Gibson said he was “undecided” on a Derby start for the 88-rated Rattan, who ran an unconvincing ninth in the Classic Cup. “We don’t know yet, the decision is just about how the horse is,” he said. Sunday’s Class Two Snipe Handicap (1,800m) Edited April 6, 2018 by Boxie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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