A quiet morning at track work today, with only one of the visiting horses taking to the turf track. Pure Sensation worked well enough, although like previous visitors from the USA really seemed to have trouble going the right handed way around the home turn. He worked 600 metres in 37.0s (13.2, 11.9, 11.9) under regular rider Rudy Nerbonne and followed up with a school in the paddock. Narbonne said: “He is in good form, and he is adapting to going right-handed. He changed his leads with no problem, but he has to do that at racing pace on Sunday. His run last time in the Breeders’ Cup over 1300 metres was a good effort, he was only beaten a length against the best in America. The 1200 metres on Sunday will suit him and he deserves to be here.”

He’ll really need to have a career high to match it with the best of the locals and the two Japanese sprinters on Sunday.

Of the local horses, the most high profile to make an appearance today was Able Friend. He’s only raced once since finishing third to Maurice in the Mile last year. Upon returning to Hong Kong from Australia, where he was treated for a tendon injury, he had an unfortunate incident with a ‘manure cart’ and goes into this years Mile as something of an unknown quantity.

Trainer John Moore has openly said he’s a run short of where he’d like him to be. Able Friend has had two trials and a 1200m start going into Sundays race. The first trial was a little unflattering, however he put in a good one last Friday. In between his 1200m start was encouraging, but he did tire late.

At his best he’d beat this field, but there is a genuine query over his race fitness. Hopefully he can acquit himself well!

Rebel Dane made his first public appearance since arriving in Hong Kong, cantering a couple of laps of the dirt track under race rider Ben Melham.

Greg Miles, assistant to trainer Gary Portelli, said: “This is the deepest he’s gone into any prep but the horse is really well. All the standard indicators are positive. He arrived on Sunday night and has settled in quickly. He lost nine kilos on the flight but has already put a couple back on and looks bright. He had a good gallop, at home, before he left and he won’t do much this week. We hand walked him yesterday and he had an easy trot and canter this morning.

Ben Melham said: “Feels great.”

Quechua is a visitor from Singapore, where he is a dual Group 1 winner. He was previously placed at the top level in his birth country Argentina. He only arrived in Hong Kong over the weekend and appeared on the dirt track for the first time today. There’s really only one word to describe him – messy. He was sweating and dribbling up a storm in unfamiliar surroundings.

Being on his toes and a little warm is apparently normal for the horse, however he did look very disoriented today. He  jogged and cantered a couple of circuits of the all-weather track a under Nooresh Juglall. Big race jockey Barend Vorster said “Everything’s good with him, he’s taken the four hour flight from Singapore really well, he hasn’t lost any weight, and that’s a good sign.”

On the face of it he would appear outclassed in the Vase (although he does boast a 3rd to Dan Excel and Military Attack in the 2015 Singapore Airlines Cup) and he’d certainly need to settle more as the week progresses.

Big Orange was another who was on edge this morning. He worked easily on the dirt and did look well. However when he was returning to the exit chute, he became agitated each time another horse passed him travelling in the opposite direction. He certainly gave work rider Gillian Dolman a good workout restraining him. Other than that connections are happy. Dolman said: “He’s very fit and we’re really happy with him.”

Until he started to act up he did appear well and looked in better shape than he did prior to the Melbourne Cup.

You can’t miss Nuovo Record in the morning. With her green head gear and the pink jacket of the work rider, she is a stand out. This year she tackles the Vase, after a fast finishing second to A Shin Hikari in the Cup last year. She’s done her fare share of travel recently having been to the USA for the Breeders Cup, where she ran down the track. Subsequent to that she won a Group 3 2200m race at Del Mar (restricted to fillies and mares).

She worked two laps over the Sha Tin all-weather track. Clocked through 400m down the straight in 31.2s (15.6, 15.6). Groom Hideyuki Obara said: “We gave her a decent tune-up today over the all-weather course. She is in excellent condition and didn’t lose any weight on her trip from the United States. She is a fantastic shipper and is very relaxed. We’ll have a light work over the turf tomorrow before galloping her on Thursday.”

Red Falx comes to Hong Kong a last start winner of the Group 1 Sprinters Stakes in Japan. Today was the first time we’d seen him publicly. He only cantered a lap of the dirt track before returning to the quarantine barn. Work rider Isao Futaguchi said: “He lost a bit of concentration and was keen this morning, but he was in a good mood.  He will work on turf tomorrow and do some schooling in the paddock afterwards.”