Australia's Sand Premier Cup entry Eclair Mystic showed he had made a good recovery from a horror trip to Macau when he worked at Taipa on Tuesday morning.
Photo by Racing and Sports
Éclair Mystic and the UK-trained entries Doncaster Rover and Majestic Myles stepped out for their final pieces of serious work ahead of Friday night international Group One feature and impressed onlookers with their condition.
The Robert Smerdon-trained Éclair Mystic stretched out nicely on the turf under rider Matt Pumpa leaving assistant trainer Stuart Webb a contented man after the hit-out.
“That was good; we are right where we want to be at this stage,” Webb said.
“I wanted him to do a bit of evens from the 1000m and then roll home the last 400 in around 25 but he did it in just under 24.
“He is a very layback horse and only does as much as you ask him.”
Macau-owned Eclair Mystic, a winner of six of his 11 starts, arrived in Macau on November 7 after a testing trip from Melbourne.
He had to travel by road to Sydney to join an eight-hour flight to Hong Kong followed by an 8 1/2 hour barge trip to Macau.
Mark Zahra will fly in from Melbourne for the ride on Eclair Mystic, who resumed with an 11th behind Facile Tigre at Flemington on November 1.
The Premier Cup over 1300m is the first recognised international Group race to be conducted by the Macau Jockey Club and will be Eclair Mystic's first start on a sand track, a scenario that has Smerdon unsure of what to expect from the talented sprinter.
"I think he is up to it but just how he handles the track is the real issue,” Smerdon said.
“The sand can be a real problem for any galloper who has not raced on it before. They tell me a horse can run 15 lengths last on the sand and then come out on the grass and win easily.”
English trainer David Brown was stoked with a nice piece of work from Doncaster Rover who moved fluently under his race jockey, Frenchman Jerome Lermyte.
“That was just fabulous I'm really pleased with that.” Brown said.
“We just wanted a bit of three part speed and then quicken up a touch to open his lungs, Jerome handled him perfectly.”
Lermyte was also delighted with the well performed five year old entire.
“I'm very happy to be riding him.” Lermyte said.
“He had a good blow out and came out of it very well.”
The three year old Majestic Myles is the baby of the Sand Premier Cup field but the gelding has taken everything in his stride since arriving in Macau last Wednesday.
The gelding rolled down his last 400m in 23.9 in what his work rider Philip[ Tutley described the jockey as “a good pipe opener.”
“I let him bowl off from around the 900 and just wanted to give him a good leg stretcher on the bridle,” Tutley said.
“I wanted him to quicken up around the bend with the pacifiers on and he felt good.”
“I am very happy with him and there has been no issues at all.”
