Nine days ahead of a potentially vintage renewal of the HK$20 million G1 Audemars Piguet QEII Cup (2000m), last year’s winner Blazing Speed stretched his legs this morning in a barrier trial.
Cruising around 1200m of the Sha Tin dirt track in a manner that gave jockey Neil Callan every indication that he will make a vigorous defence of his title a week on Sunday (24 April).
“He looks great and feels great,” said Callan after passing the post a close-up third in the seven-runner trial.
“He trialled nicely this morning; he’s pretty fit, he’s been running all season, so it was just a matter of getting him out and stretching his legs ready for the race. He looks magnificent, he feels great and he was just nicely on the bridle all the way to the line.”
Callan has partnered the Tony Cruz trainee in 14 of his last 17 starts but Gerald Mosse was in the plate for the Dylan Thomas gelding’s latest effort almost two weeks ago, a below-par sixth to the Callan-ridden stablemate Beauty Only in the HKG2 Chairman’s Trophy (1600m).
“You have to forgive last time, he just threw in a bad day, he wasn’t 100 percent himself for some reason,” said Callan. “He has done that in the past and then came back even stronger so I’m not worried about that.”
Blazing Speed scored the biggest success of his career in last year’s edition of the AP QEII Cup, a contest that merited a ranking of ninth in the World’s Top 100 Group 1 Races for the year. The jockey is upbeat about the seven-year-old’s chances of seeing off another field of imposing rivals that is set to feature Japanese stars Lovely Day, Nuovo Record and Satono Crown, and Ireland’s G1 Hong Kong Vase (2400m) hero Highland Reel, as well as Blazing Speed’s familiar home circuit rivals, among them the race’s 2014 winner, Designs On Rome.
“The Japanese came last year with their good horse, Staphanos, and we beat him quite comprehensively - they’re not unbeatable,” said the Irishman. “It’s a Group 1, it’s the ninth highest-rated Group 1 in the world, so it’s not going to be a walk-over, there are going to be good overseas horses in there, and the Hong Kong horses are good as well. It’s a strong race and so it should be. I can only go in there confident and happy with my horse, and I am.”
The Cruz-trained Helene Super Star also warmed up for the APQEII Cup. Last year’s G1 Champions & Chater Cup winner passed the post fifth in the same trial under Matthew Chadwick.
