Almond Eye the star of Hong Kong International Races
It’s important to read the fine print and stay attuned to what words actually mean when dealing with racing jurisdictions talking about who might and might not run in their big races. For instance, there were headlines all over the racing world Wednesday when the Hong Kong Jockey Club released lists of names for its four international Group 1 races on Dec. 8 and Magical showed up in the 1 1/4-mile Hong Kong Cup.
Magical was a possible runner in the Breeders’ Cup Turf before her connections announced that not only wouldn’t she start in the race, but that Magical would race no more and become a broodmare in 2020. That, from reports in European racing press (among them the Racing Post), appears still to be the case. The HKJC’s release Wednesday included “selected runners” for the international races, and just because a horse has been selected to start doesn’t mean they will.
Magic Wand, it appears, will be O’Brien’s runner in the HK Cup, and while she’s good, she’s no Magical. Almond Eye from Japan remains the clear star not only of that race but the entire card. Almond Eye’s one trip abroad produced a victory last March in the Group 1, $6 million Dubai Turf, and as of this week her connections still appear committed to shipping to Hong Kong despite the civil unrest there that has seriously disrupted daily life over the last several weeks. Still, the HKJC conducted its Wednesday night card at Happy Valley, which sits in the heart of Hong Kong, after canceling the previous week’s Happy Valley program.
O’Brien also has two horses for the 1 1/2-mile Hong Kong Vase in Anthony Van Dyck, a somewhat troubled third in the BC Turf, and Mount Everest, who could serve as Anthony Van Dyck’s pacemaker.
The HKJC also listed the O’Brien-trained Circus Maximus as a selected runner for the HK Mile, but reports indicate he won’t be shipping to Hong Kong. The Mile’s two-time defending champion Beauty Generation has suffered two losses in a row now after winning 10 straight races, leaving the Mile wide open for a new winner. The rising Waikuku won the Sha Tin prep for the HK Mile and could face as many as four Japanese challengers, as well as Beauty Generation, in the one-turn contest.
The France-based Edisa, who won the Belmont Oaks Invitational, also is among the selected runners for the Cup.
Exultant, Hong Kong’s top horse at 1 1/4 and 1 1/2 miles, heads the list of Vase selected runners along with Deirdre and Lucky Lilac, mares from Japan.
Three-year-old Aethero along with fellow Hong Kong-based sprinters Beat the Clock and Hot King Prawn head the selected runners list for the HK Sprint.