22/04/2013 12:26

Japan’s EISHIN FLASH and UAE hopeful SAJJHAA pleased their respective stables with light workouts on the all-weather track at Sha Tin this morning in preparation for Sunday’s APQEII Cup.

Neither was out to run a fast time and the key, according to both camps, was that both horses – who can be inclined to be a little headstrong – were reasonably relaxed in what is still a new and strange environment.

“The mare was good this morning,” said Godolphin representative Tommy Burns of SAJJHAA, “she’s a headstrong girl and usually she wants to charge when she steps on to the racecourse but she was quite settled this morning and that’s good. She’s got better and better each day since she’s been here.”

“She’s by King’s Best and can be hot headed and the key is we don’t gallop her too much. She did enough this morning. In a sense she trains herself,” Burns said after the mare worked over 1200m in 1m 30s – last 400m in 26.3s.

SAJJHAA, fresh from four consecutive wins in Dubai, is sure to be well fancied but Burns notes there a few cautions about her Hong Kong prospects at 2000 metres after her Group 1 victories at 1800m in the Jebel Hatta and Dubai Duty Free.

“She’s away from her own backyard; has to go an extra furlong (200m) and go right handed. I’m not sure the right handed is a big issue but she does like to lead on her left and most of her racing has been that way (left handed),” Burns commented.

And while the mare is a winner at the distance and right handed, those successes came earlier in her career in lesser grade. “She’s got bags of speed and the last little bit of the 10 furlongs (2000m) found her out at York and Doncaster last year,” he said in reference to second place finishes in the G2 Middleton Stakes and Listed Gillies Fillies Stakes.

Both races were slightly beyond 2000m – an additonal 55m at Doncaster and 80m at York. Burns conceded that a lack of obvious speed in the APQEII Cup could suit SAJJHAA but added: “I think it might suit a few others as well but at least I know that our mare has travelled well and settled in well, so that’s a positive.”

The 2010 Japanese Derby and 2012 Tenno Sho (Autumn) winner EISHIN FLASH has stepped on to the track both days since he flew into Hong Kong and the six-year-old horse was relaxed as he cantered for two laps after he had a warm-up jog on the all-weather track.

Travelling lad Toshiya Kubo commented. “He had an experience to travel abroad last year (to Dubai), but the big difference from last year’s trip is that he has no horse to accompany him this time. He was tense when he got in the aircraft, but then calmed down during the flight.

“He’s also alone in the quarantine stable but he is a very smart horse and handles the new surroundings. He’s settling down well so we are happy from that point of view. His form has got better since he has arrived and he’s eating up well,” he said.

Mike de Kock’s pair IGUGU and TREASURE BEACH did not leave the quarantine area this morning after arriving in Hong Kong only yesterday.