A wet morning at Sha Tin, with those running in the APQEII, generally having a quiet time of it, although Satono Crown worked solidly on the grass. Of those running the following week, Chautauqua had a solid hit out on the turf track.

There were also a couple of interesting barrier trials for local horses going around in the Chairmans Sprint and Champions Mile.

Chautauqua

He worked the turf, galloping 1200m in 1200m in 1.23.6 (15.6, 15.4, 16.8, 13.4, 11.3, 11.1). An impressive last 400m. He did look a little quirky early in the piece wanting to wander down to the inside rail as he cantered up the home straight the first time.

 

Rising Romance

She was out in the worst of the weather, but it didn’t faze her one bit. She cantered a couple of laps of the dirt track, which got pretty sloppy as a result of the downpour. She continues to look well ahead of the race. She may look stretched in this class of race, but others Australians have come up here in similar circumstances and run well (think Lucia Valentina and Alcopop). She’ll have to produce a top level performance to figure on Sunday, but on looks and attitude you could not deny her.

Buffering 

Old mate seems to be thriving on the travel and new surroundings. He worked quietly on the dirt this morning, finishing off with a stroll back with his new found friend Rising Romance.

 

Satono Crown

He had a solid gallop on the turf in preparation for his race on Sunday, covering 800m in 57.2s (30.3, 26.9). He’s a quirky individual, who can be a bit of a handful for his rider. He also schooled in the parade ring in preparation for Sunday.

Peniaphobia

Had a good trial on the dirt, with race jockey Matthew Chadwick on board. He jumped to the front in this trial and was never headed. I’m not a fan of horses coming off Dubai in these races, but this was a good effort and he looks well at this stage