John Size | Horse Racing Free Tips

Luck of Hong Kong Derby Draw Favours Russian Emperor

After finishing a barnstorming second from gate 11 in a slowly run renewal of the Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) four weeks back, last year's G3 Hampton Court S. scorer Russian Emperor (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was assigned barrier five as post positions were drawn Thursday for the HK$24 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse.

The former Aidan O'Brien galloper was no factor and well beaten in his first two local appearances, including a ninth to the upset-minded Excellent Proposal (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) in the Hong Kong Classic Mile in January. But trainer Douglas Whyte added blinkers for the Classic Cup and Russian Emperor hit the line hard to miss by a neck to Healthy Happy (Aus) (Zoustar {Aus}), who enjoyed a very soft time of it in front.

“He'll get the trip and plus, so he's going to have every answer–that's the beauty of being drawn where he is,” the 'Durban Demon' said. “[Jockey] Karis [Teetan] can now use the draw and ride a race.”

If that version of Russian Emperor shows up, they may all be running for second, but three-time Derby-winning conditioner John Size will try to make his presence felt with a trio of entrants. The highest-rated of them is Excellent Proposal, who returned a colossal $23 (22-1) in the Classic Mile and was one of several inconvenienced by the lack of pace in the Classic Cup. He has gate eight for Blake Shinn, who nearly pulled the upset in last year's Derby with 289-1 Playa Del Puente (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}).

“I'm pretty comfortable with barrier eight, it's a middle of the line draw, he'll have all the main chances around us–I'm happy,” Shinn said.

David Hayes is in the Derby in his first season back in Hong Kong, having saddled the filly Elegant Fashion (Aus) (Danewin {Aus}) in 2003. The more likely of his two runners appears to be the classy Shadow Hero (Aus) (Pierro {Aus}), who rallied from midpack to be third in the Classic Cup. While he drew nicely in seven, stablemate Conqueror (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) was less fortunate to land 13.

Sky Darci (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}) carries the highest local rating of 103 into the Derby, and while Sunday's 10-furlong trip looms a bit of a question, his chances to stay were enhanced when he and leading rider Joao Moreira pulled gate two Thursday.

“I'm very pleased with that draw–he needs a soft gate and I'm very happy, it's going to give him his chance,” said trainer Caspar Fownes, whose Super Satin (NZ) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) was piloted by Whyte when taking out the Derby back in 2010.

Our special BMW Hong Kong Derby cheat sheet will appear in Saturday's TDN Europe/International edition.

The post Luck of Hong Kong Derby Draw Favours Russian Emperor appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Friendless ‘Proposal’ Makes Amends in Hong Kong Classic Mile

Those who got stuck into Sunday's Hong Kong Classic Mile from a pari-mutuel standpoint very much adopted a 'what-have-you-done-for-me-lately' approach, failing to give the talented Excellent Proposal (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) the benefit of the doubt for a dismal last-out performance in Class 2 company Jan. 10. Dismissed at 22-1, a massive overlay given the promise he'd shown previously, the chestnut rallied wide beneath Blake Shinn and charged home to cause the boilover. Lucky Express (Aus) (Toronado {Ire}) lasted for second from a desperately unlucky Tourbillon Diamond (Aus) (Olympic Glory {Ire}). The race was marred by an injury to the well-backed Enrich Delight (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro), who took a bad step at the 1100-meter mark and was later euthanised, with multiple fractures in a fetlock, South China Morning Post reported.

Void of early speed from his high draw, Excellent Proposal raced with one or two behind through the opening stages and was forced to take some evasive action around the stricken Enrich Delight prior to the turn. Traveling deep, but with cover on the circle, he shifted out into the clear leaving the 600-metre mark and enjoyed a clean run through the lane en route to the victory. Lucky Express sat a good inside trip and weaved his way through to grab second, while Tourbillon Diamond was strung up in traffic from the 400m to the furlong grounds and flew home once clear for a luckless third.

“He has a very good temperament, he is a very quiet horse and he probably just missed the competition–he hadn't raced for three months and it looks like that is correct, because today he savaged the line, he knew what he was doing and he was there to win the race,” said trainer John Size, winning the Classic Mile for the third time in the last six years.

A winner of three of his four Australian starts for Richard and Michael Freedman, Excellent Proposal was second off a rating of 75 on local debut last season and won his first three this term before his headscratching 11th last time. That result helped push Joao Moreira onto Sky Darci (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}), the 23-10 favourite in the Classic Mile, but who could do no better than sixth.

Pedigree Notes:

Excellent Proposal is the 180th worldwide stakes winner for Exceed and Excel, whose five other Hong Kong stakes winners include the now-retired dual G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint hero Mr Stunning (Aus). The winner's dam was a daughter of the Leon MacDonald-trained Group 2 winner Dilly Dally and was raced as a homebred by Godolphin to victories at Deauville and Longchamp in 2011 ahead of a listed-stakes placing at Maisons-Laffitte. Exported to Australia in 2012, she produced foals by Invincible Spirit (Ire) and Medaglia d'Oro in 2013 and 2014, respectively, was barren for 2015 and was purchased by the Victoria-based Holloway Equine for A$180,000 carrying the colt that would become Excellent Proposal at the 2016 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. Procrastination produced the Vancouver (Aus) colt Potato Pete for Fernrigg Farm in November 2017, but passed away the following month, days shy of her 10th birthday.

WATCH: Excellent Proposal rolls home at 22-1 in the Hong Kong Classic Mile

Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong
HONG KONG CLASSIC MILE-LR, HK$12,000,000 (£1,128,669/€1,275,325/A$1,996,071/US$1,548,035), NH/SH4yo, 1600mT, 1:33.81, gd.
1–EXCELLENT PROPOSAL (AUS), 126, g, 4, by Exceed and Excel (Aus)
1st Dam: Procrastination (GB) (SP-Fr), by Pivotal (GB)
2nd Dam: Dilly Dally (Aus), by Rubiton (Aus)
3rd Dam: Faricca (Aus), by Millionaire (Ire)
1ST STAKES WIN. (A$200,0000 Ylg '18 MMGCYS). O-Kenneth Chung Kin Shu; B-Holloway Equine Pty Ltd (Vic); T-John Size; J-Blake Shinn; HK$6,840,000. Lifetime Record: 10-7-1-0, HK$12,297,470.
2–Lucky Express (Aus), 126, g, 4, Toronado (Ire)–Il Diamante (Aus), by Testa Rossa (Aus). (A$145,000 Ylg '18 INGMAR). O-Larry Yung Chi Kin; B-C Jackson (Vic); T-John Size; J-Karis Teetan; HK$2,640,000.
3–Tourbillon Diamond (Aus), 126, g, 4, Olympic Glory (Ire)–Modave (NZ), by Montjeu (Ire). (A$7,000 Ylg '18 MMJUN). O-Shum Mak Ling, Jimmy Tang, Bennie Lau Yuk Lung & William Shum Wai Lam; B-Arrowfield Group Pty Ltd, Jungle Pocket Pty Ltd (NSW); T-Danny Shum; J-Alexis Badel; HK$1,380,000.
Margins: 3/4, NK, 3/4. Odds: 22-1, 15-2, 17-2.
Also Ran: Lucky Patch (NZ), Shadow Hero (Aus), Sky Darci (NZ), Healthy Happy (Aus), The Summit (Fr), Russian Emperor (Ire), Maximus (Ger), Beauty Joy (Aus), Celestial Power (Aus). DNF: Enrich Delight (Aus). Scratched: Tsar (GB). Click for the HKJC.com chart, PPs and sectional timing.

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At Long Last, Hot King Prawn Gets His Group 1

Entering Sunday's G1 Centenary Sprint Cup at Sha Tin, the likeable Hot King Prawn (Aus) (Denman {Aus}) had won half of his 22 career starts and had been out of the top three on just four occasions. His record at Group 1 level left more to be desired, as he had been blanked from seven previous tries, but the John Size trainee righted that wrong with a convincing success Sunday.

Drawn gate two for Joao Moreira, Hot King Prawn was driven along early and found himself in the perfect spot from third as Voyage Warrior (Aus) (Declaration of War) set a decent pace from Computer Patch (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}). Moreira peeled Hot King Prawn three deep outside of the dueling front-runners at the 400m mark, reeled in Voyage Warrior with a little less than a furlong to travel and came away to a facile success. Regency Legend (NZ) (Pins {Aus}), first-up for better than 400 days and who displayed some obstreperous parade ring behavior, flashed home up the fence to take a photo for second from Big Party (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}).

WATCH: The popular Hot King Prawn finally climbs the hill in the Centenary Sprint Cup

Pedigree Notes:

A half-brother to multiple Australian Group 3 winner Siren's Fury, Hot King Prawn is the first top-level scorer for Twin Hill Stud's Denman and is the 26th GI/G1SW produced by a daughter of the late Unbridled's Song. Breeder Torryburn Stud consigns Hot King Prawn's yearling full-brother as lot 561 to next month's Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, while Hot King Prawn's half-sister Storm Siren (Aus) (Excites {Aus}) is the dam of lot 347, a Widden Stud-consigned yearling from the first Southern Hemisphere crop of Coolmore's Churchill (Ire).

Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong
CENTENARY SPRINT CUP-G1, HK$12,000,000 (£1,128,669/€1,275,325/A$1,996,071/US$1,548,035), 3yo/up, 1200mT, 1:08.01, gd.
1–HOT KING PRAWN (AUS), 126, g, 6, by Denman (Aus)
1st Dam: De Chorus (Aus), by Unbridled's Song
2nd Dam: Val de Grace (Aus), by Centaine (Aus)
3rd Dam: Renasans (NZ), by Ashabit (GB)
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (A$90,000 Ylg '16 INGFEB). O-Lau Sak Hong; B-Torryburn Stud (NSW); T-John Size; J-Joao Moreira; HK$6,840,000. Lifetime Record: 23-12-5-2, HK$34,087,300. *1/2 to Siren's Fury (Aus) (Myboycharlie {Ire}), MGSW-Aus, $379,420. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: D+.
2–Regency Legend (NZ), 126, g, 5, Pins (Aus)–Sparkling (NZ), by O'Reilly (NZ). (NZ$50,000 Ylg '17 NZBJAN). O-Wong Shun Yuen; B-Waikato Stud Ltd; T-Danny Shum; J-Antoine Hamelin; HK$2,640,000.
3–Big Party (Aus), 126, g, 6, Exceed and Excel (Aus)–De Groove (Aus), by Dehere. (A$420,000 Ylg '17 INGEAS). O-Ryan Wong Man Yeung & Roland Wong Ka Yeung; B-G S A Bloodstock Pty Ltd (Vic); T-Frankie Lor; J-Karis Teetan; HK$1,200,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, NO, NK. Odds: 11-10, 27-1, 40-1.
Also Ran: Voyage Warrior (Aus), Computer Patch (Aus), Fat Turtle (Aus), Buddies (Aus), Wishful Thinker (Aus), Stronger (Aus), Jolly Banner (Aus), Amazing Star (NZ). Click for the HKJC.com chart, PPs and sectional timing. VIDEO. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.

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Hot King Prawn, Waikuku Take Sha Tin Trials Ahead of HKIR

Hot King Prawn (Aus) (Denman {Aus}), recent winner of the G2 Jockey Club Sprint, and his John Size stablemate Waikuku (Ire) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) signaled their readiness for the Dec. 13 Longines Hong Kong International Races with victorious barrier trials at Sha Tin Dec. 4.

Waikuku, runner-up to the re-opposing Admire Mars (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Ire}) in last year’s G1 Hong Kong Mile and a latest third in the G1 FWD Champions Mile in April, came with a wide run from far back on the turn and kept on well to take the day’s opening trial over 1200 metres (video), while the naturally speedier Hot King Prawn sat handier to the pace, took over a furlong and a half from home and was under little urging to score in the morning’s third heat, with fellow Hong Kong Sprint aspirant Wishful Thinker (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}) third (video). Waikuku and Hot King Prawn were put through their paces by Joao Moreira, who has the call on both horses on international day.

Size famously sent out Glorious Days (Aus) (Hussonet) to win the 2013 Mile off a lengthy layoff and believes Waikuku can be in the finish yet again.

“He’s making some progress so go to the races and just hope he gets a sweet run,” the conditioner said. “He might grab some prizemoney. He’s first-up for a long time and he’s had some interruptions, but if you could get some prizemoney, I’m sure we’d be happy with that and we could proceed to the Stewards’ Cup.”

Waikuku defeated Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road to Rock {Aus}) in the 2020 Stewards’ Cup for a maiden Group 1 win.

Hot King Prawn, second to the now-retired ex-stablemate Beat The Clock (Aus) (Hinchinbrook {Aus}) in the Sprint, looks to be holding his form as he seeks a first top-level tally.

“He seems OK. He’s sort of improving all the time. He’s needed the racing to bring him on,” Size said. “He’s a fairly gross horse and you can’t push him, you’ve just got to wait for him and I think he looks OK to me.”

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