David Ferraris, trainer of the 2005 Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup winner Vengeance Of Rain, is bullish about the prospects of his latest emerging star Sweet Orange in the 2012 edition of the HK$14 million race at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Photo by Racing and Sports
The Derby-placed Sweet Orange had a solid gallop over 400m on the turf at Sha Tin on Monday. The work delighted Ferraris, whose fortunes seem to be on the rise again after Bear Hero's win last weekend.
“He's 100 per cent. He had a nice stretch and quickened home over the last quarter. He's as ready as he ever will be for this sort of assignment and I'm confident he's up to it,” Ferraris said.
Race day jockey Weichong Marwing, a two-time AP QEII Cup winner, was similarly pleased with the workout.
“He felt terrific and I'd say he was in the same sort of shape as he was leading into the Derby,” said
Marwing whose previous successes were aboard Viva Pataca (2010) and Irridescence (2006).
Sweet Orange drifted back to near last from a wide draw in the Mercedes-Benz HK Derby on 18 March and flashed home, in his customary fashion, to be beaten just a half length.
“He's had no luck with barriers all along,” Ferraris said, “With a couple of better draws and a touch more luck he could well be going into this race as a triple Group 1 winner. We just hope we can draw a half decent barrier for Sunday's race.”
Sweet Orange, who boasts two wins and five placings from his 10 starts in Hong Kong, was originally trained by David Wachman and sourced by Ferraris with the assistance of bloodstock agent Chris McAnulty after the colt had had four runs in Ireland, including two wins at Dundalk, in 2010.
“I've found over the years there's something about that form from Dundalk - horses who perform well there often seem to go on and fortunately that's been the case with this one," Ferraris said.
“He is still an entire and that's often an issue with horses trained here in the confines of Sha Tin but often it's less of a problem with the better ones. The top class horses seem to cope,” Ferraris said.
Rulership, the Japanese contender for the AP QEII Cup, was the one international runner to appear on the track on Monday and he had a steady half pace gallop on the all weather under work rider Norihiko Kishimoto.
The trainer's representative, Mitsumasa Nakauchida supervised Rulership's work.
“The travel was smooth, and there wasn't any waiting time during the trip. He seems to be in good form and has been eating up very well since his arrival on Saturday," he said.
“There is no other horse to stay with him in the stable, but he is very settled.
"He is a very smart horse. We will decide to give him a breeze on Wednesday or Thursday morning,
depending on the weather and the track condition. Jockey Umberto Rispoli will be on."Rulership, trained by Katsuhiko Sumii, was G2 placed in his latest run in Japan on March 24 and finished within two lengths of the highly rated Orfevre in the G1 Arima Kinen in December.
