Lynam lauds SOLE POWER ahead of the LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint

Fresh from witnessing SOLE POWER being crowned Horse Of The Year in Ireland this week, trainer Edward Lynam arrived on track today (Wednesday, 10 December) at Sha Tin to watch his sprinting star progress towards Sunday’s G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m).

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  SOLE POWER December 10 trackwork

Reflecting on the growing popularity of  SOLE POWER who, in 2014, added two more G1’s to his achievements, including victory in Royal Ascot’s prestigious King’s Stand Stakes (1000m) for a second consecutive year, Lynam said: “This horse never shirks a battle and his style of racing – sitting way off the pace – is untypical of a sprinter. He is electric and a real ‘box office’ horse.”

Lynam, responsible for another European sprinting star in the shape of the recently-retired SLADE POWER, added of his seven-year-old speedball: “SOLE POWER was a champion three-year-old but he has never really got the plaudits. Even now, he’s been around for so long that he’s taken for granted.”

The County Meath-based Lynam also reveals that his 10-time winner keeps on surprising the trainer: “At the end of every season you think it’s the end of Sole Power but this was his best year so you keep going with him.”

Whilst his main achievements have come over 1000m, SOLE POWER’s second to the brilliant Lord Kanaloa at Sha Tin last December confirmed that he is not just a ‘one-dimensional’ speedster.

Lynam concedes his best has been at 1000m but remains encouraged by his performance last year: “He’s been more of a 110-rated horse over 1200m, but more like 117 or 118 over 1000m. However if he runs like he did in this race last year, he’s got a decent chance, if we get luck in running. There is no exceptional horse this year and the sprint trial here asked as many questions as it answered. I’d be most frightened of the Australian horse Buffering – if he could get an uncontested lead he might be hard to catch.”

As to SOLE POWER’s condition on this latest overseas mission, Lynam said: “He’s lost a bit more weight than usual. Other than that, he seems fine.”

Lynam gives the impression he feels added confidence for Sunday because of the fact that Richard Hughes will ride again. Britain’s champion jockey partnered Sole Power to those two G1 wins in the UK this year and the trainer smiled as he said:  “Richard says that he and SOLE POWER were made for each other.”

LONGINES Hong Kong International Races – Racing Colours

LONGINES Hong Kong Vase
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LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint
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LONGINES Hong Kong Mile
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LONGINES Hong Kong Cup
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LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship Opening Ceremony

The LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship 2014 was held tonight at Happy Valley Racecourse. Twelve of the world’s top jockeys battled it out to score the highest points tally on the night of champions.

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LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship report Fukunaga takes the LONGINES IJC for Japan

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  Yuichi Fukunaga on Vara Pearl (No.9) takes the third leg of the LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship in Race 7.

It was Japan’s night as Yuichi Fukunaga, twice the Champion Jockey in Japan, rode a double in the middle two legs of the LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship to power him clear of his rivals and secure his first IJC crown at Happy Valley racecourse tonight.

James McDonald got his evening and the competition off to a flying start when winning the first leg of the LONGINES IJC on well fancied EXPECTATOR, from Joao Moreira aboard GOLDEN SCALPEL, with Zac Purton in third place on WIN IT.

McDonald had EXPECTATOR in the perfect spot three off the pace set by S’Manga Khumalo and JADE PIPPO, and when he delivered the horse off the final turn the issue was never in doubt.

“I was very confident throughout the race. I knew that I was riding the best horse in the race, and I was in the right spot to use him. It’s a good start to the evening.”

Japan’s Yuichi Fukunaga joined McDonald at the head of affairs when taking the second leg of the Championship in the 1,000m sprint on the Almond Lee-trained OCEAN ROAR, while local jockey Vincent Ho opened his account with a second place finish for six points aboard EXCEL ONESELF. Hong Kong’s current leading rider Joao Moreira added to his tally with a third place finish on the Caspar Fownes-trained FAMILY INTERESTS.

Afterwards Fukunaga said: “I was told to lead or to sit handy, and that is what I did. It’s my first win at Happy Valley and I am very happy.”

Thus at the half way stage McDonald and Fukunaga were tied on 12 points, with Moreira in third with 10 points.

Yuichi Fukunaga put his hands on the victor’s trophy when riding his second winner of the night, taking the third leg on the Tony Millard trained VARA PEARL with a well-judged ride.

Fukunaga broke alertly for an early lead, but took his horse back to race in third before producing him again in the home straight to go clear of Joao Moreira and ELEGANCE KLAMMER. Vincent Ho did best of the rest with a third place finish on GENUINE CHAMPION.

“I pushed forward early as the trainer instructed me, and then let him settle. When I asked him to go through the gap in the straight he never hesitated,” was how Fukunaga described the win.

fonte : HKJC

Going into the final leg Fukunaga led on 24 points with only Joao Moreira on 16 points from three placed efforts able to catch him, with first leg winner James McDonald on 12 points needing a win to tie. No one else was close enough to claim the crown.

In the final leg Fukunaga was unable to add to his tally on WAH MAY BABY, while McDonald’s second place finish with SEMPITERNAL took his score to 18, with Moreira – despite scoring points in all four legs – finishing runner-up on 20, still short of Fukunaga’s winning total of 24. The victory in the fourth leg went to LONGINES World’s Best Jockey Ryan Moore, pointless in the first three legs, who in a patient ride produced AMAZINGLY for trainer David Ferraris from mid division to run down his field.

Ryan Moore said of the win: “I had a good trip, and was comfortable through the race. When the gap came, the horse responded well.” Moore’s win secured him fourth place with Vincent Ho in fifth on 10 points thanks to two placed efforts.

Fukunaga became the second Japanese jockey to win the LONGINES IJC, following Yutaka Take who tied with Christophe Soumillon to win the contest in 2004. Afterwards the newly crowned champion said, “I am the first Japanese jockey to win this outright, so I am very happy and honoured to have done so. Both my winning rides were similar in that I was able to get a good position early. Happy Valley is a tricky course to ride, and the important thing is to start well. I had a lot of Japanese fans here to encourage me and some local support also speaking in Japanese!”

Fukunaga said he is hoping to continue his Hong Kong glory by partnering FIERO to victory in the LONGINES Hong Kong Mile on Sunday, 14 December.

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2014 The LONGINES International Jockey’s Championship – Result