Silent Witness justified his odds of 1-5, winning the Cathay Pacific Sprint for the second successive year on Sunday at Sha Tin racecourse in Hong Kong. A Tony Cruz-trained speedball, Silent Witness won his 13th consecutive start.
Silent Witness won the five-furlong dash by 1 3/4 lengths over Cape of Good Hope, and, barring injury, he appears set to go after Cigar's all-time record winning streak of 16.
Battle Won, winner of the Woodford County Stakes over 5 1/2 furlongs on turf at Keeneland on Oct. 22, is the only American challenger in the international races at Sha Tin, Hong Kong, on Sunday. All four are sponsored by Cathay Pacific Airlines.
Trainer Charles Simon has booked jockey Kieren Fallon for the 4-year-old Battle Won in the Hong Kong Sprint. Fallon advertised his talent in the U.S. recently on Ouija Board in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf and on River Belle in the Mrs. Revere Stakes.
Andreas Suborics and Doug Whyte finished in a dead heat for victory in the World Super Jockeys Series over the weekend at Hanshin Racecourse in Japan, where Shoman Peintre scored a 21-1 upset in the Grade 1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies on Sunday.
Edgar Prado, the U.S. representative in the competition, finished 12th of 14 participants
Battle Won arrived in good order at Sha Tin Racecourse on Thursday for his Dec. 12 date in the $1.28 million Hong Kong Sprint.
Trainer Charles Simon said he was optimistic about Battle Won's chances in the five-furlong Group 1 dash, knowing full well that the Sprint will be the most competitive race on the Hong Kong International Race Day card.
Latice, winner of the Prix de Diane (French Oaks), has been bought privately by George Strawbridge and withdrawn from her date in the auction ring at the Tattersalls December sale on Wednesday.
The Pennsylvania-based Strawbridge completed the deal for Latice, a 3-year-old daughter of Inchinor, last week. Formerly owned by Enrico Ciampi, Latice is trained in France by Jean-Marie Beguigne, who will prepare her for the 1 1/4-mile Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin on Dec. 12, after which she will be sent to the United States to race as a 4-year-old.
Zenno Rob Roy confirmed strong favoritism to give the Japanese their sixth Japan Cup triumph in the last seven years on Sunday before a massive crowd of 119,362 at Tokyo Racecourse where Total Impact could manage only fourth behind Time Paradox in the Japan Cup Dirt.
NEW YORK - The death this week from heart failure at 28 of the great miler and influential stallion and broodmare sire Kris recalls a period when the world seemed to have a plethora of exceptionally fine horses.
Foaled in 1976, Kris was only one of a great generation that included Brigadier Gerard, Mill Reef, Roberto, Shirley Heights, Troy, and Dunfermline, and those just from Britain alone. In France we had Allez France, Pawneese, Dahlia, Trillion, Three Troikas, Sassafras, Lyphard, Irish River, Blushing Groom, Green Dancer, and Riverman.
Total Impact takes on the world as the lone American representative on Sunday's special Tokyo Racecourse card, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Japan Racing Association.
A 6-year-old Chilean-bred, Total Impact will face 15 rivals in the $2.46 million Japan Cup Dirt, a 1 5/16-mile Grade 1 event in which he will attempt to repeat the American success of Fleetstreet Dancer last year.
Battle Won is the only American-trained horse to be invited to any of the four Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin on Dec. 12.
Battle Won, trained by Charles Simon, won ungraded turf stakes in his last two starts at Keeneland and Kentucky Downs. He has been asked to run in the $1.28 million Hong Kong Sprint, a straight five-furlong dash in which he would meet the undefeated Hong Kong champion Silent Witness as well as the recent Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp winner, Var, and the Sprinters Stakes winner, Calstone Light O.