Aqueduct: Hong Kong trip gives Englehart new perspective

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Though King Kreesa managed only a 12th-place finish in last weekend’s Hong Kong Mile, trainer Jeremiah Englehart said he enjoyed his first experience of international racing.

“It was a pretty interesting experience; from a racing standpoint it was very special for me to go over and see how the international scene is,” said Englehart, who returned to New York on Monday night. “The racing in Hong Kong is phenomenal. I know it’s the only game in town as far as gambling goes, but some of the things they do with technology for bettors – they seem far more advanced than we are in the U.S. As a kid growing up, I thought of racing in the U.S. as the best in the world. My first experience outside of the U.S., I see there are more pieces to the puzzle.”

Englehart felt the New York-bred King Kreesa, winner of the Grade 3 Poker Stakes at Belmont in July and runner-up to Wise Dan in the Grade 2 Fourstardave at Saratoga in July, ran a credible race in Hong Kong. He felt the horse may have been impacted by not running on Lasix, though Englehart did not scope him to see if he bled.

While Englehart returned to New York, King Kreesa shipped to Florida. He is required to do a short period of time in quarantine and after that will ship to Jimmy Crupi’s farm in Ocala, Fla., where he will get a break before returning in the spring to New York.

Engelhart said he and owners Gerald and Susan Kresa will target open company stakes for King Kreesa in 2014 and even strongly consider pointing to the Breeders’ Cup Mile, a race for which he would have to be supplemented to become eligible.

“Our plan is to really see what we’ve got,” Englehart said. “If that means facing Wise Dan two or three times, maybe we’ll look into that.”

Englehart’s other big horse, Ria Antonia, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner, returned to Belmont Park on Tuesday after spending about five weeks turned out at Hogan Equine, a farm in Cream Ridge, N.J. Her owners, Ron Paolucci and Christopher Dunn, want to run Ria Antonia against males in stakes at Fair Grounds to see if she is worthy of being considered for the Kentucky Derby.

Englehart said Wednesday that Ria Antonia would likely start light training at Belmont this week before shipping to New Orleans after Christmas.

Samraat works for Runyon

After being forced into light training due to inclement weather for two days, Samraat stretched his legs Wednesday morning, working an easy seven furlongs in 1:33 over a good inner track. After winning his first two starts sprinting, Samraat will attempt to stretch out around two turns in Sunday’s $100,000 Damon Runyon Stakes at a mile and 70 yards.

“I think it’s supposed to be his strong suit, two turns,” trainer Rick Violette said.

Samraat, a son of Noble Causeway owned and bred by Len Riggio’s My Meadowview Farm, won his debut going six furlongs at Belmont and a first-level allowance race going 7 1/2 furlongs at Aqueduct.