fallight.com :: 2006 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint (G1)

RACE 5(223)

Race Class: 3yo+ - 1200 Metres
THE CATHAY PACIFIC HONG KONG SPRINT
HK$ 12,000,000.00
56k Broadband

Going :	Good To Firm
Course :	Turf - "A" Course
Race Time :	(22.90)	(44.7)	(1.07.8)
Sectional Time :	22.90	21.80	23.10

Plc	No.	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Actual Wt.	Draw	Length Behind Winner	Finishing Time	Win Odds
1	12	ABSOLUTE CHAMPION (E060)	B Prebble	D J Hall	126	5	-	1.07.80	6.4
2	7	SILENT WITNESS (C140)	F Coetzee	A S Cruz	126	2	4-1/4	1.08.50	7
3	5	BENBAUN (G619)	J Spencer	M J Wallace	126	3	5-1/4	1.08.60	39
4	11	DOWN TOWN (G054)	O Doleuze	C H Yip	126	12	6-1/2	1.08.80	4.9
5	8	SUNNY SING (E135)	C Soumillon	J Moore	126	8	7-1/2	1.09.00	2.6
6	13	BILLET EXPRESS (D140)	D Whyte	J Moore	126	10	8-1/4	1.09.10	49
7	10	ABLE PRINCE (C348)	M Nunes	J Moore	126	9	10	1.09.40	31
8	6	SCINTILLATION (C228)	G Mosse	C S Shum	126	6	10-1/4	1.09.40	18
9	3	RED OOG (H604)	H Bowman	J Pride	126	13	12-3/4	1.09.80	35
10	14	SHE IS TOSHO (H607)	K Ikezoe	A Tsurudome	122	11	13-1/4	1.09.90	23
11	9	NATURAL BLITZ (E227)	A Delpech	D Cruz	126	1	16-3/4	1.10.40	41
12	2	DESERT LORD (H602)	N Callan	K A Ryan	126	4	16-3/4	1.10.40	31
WX	1	TAKEOVER TARGET (H601)	J Ford	J Janiak	126	---	---	---	---
TNP	4	MEISHO BOWLER (H605)	Y Fukunaga	T Shirai	126	7	---	---	---

Note: Special incidents index

Dividend
Pool	Winning Combination	Dividend (HK$)
WIN	12	64.00
PLACE	12	21.00
	7	22.00
	5	100.00
QUINELLA	7,12	224.50
QUINELLA PLACE	7,12	65.00
	5,12	427.00
	5,7	358.00
TIERCE	12,7,5	14,621.00
TRIO	5,7,12	2,883.00
FIRST 4	5,7,11,12	3,434.00
4THDOUBLE	6/12	1,168.50
4THDOUBLE	6/7	156.00


Racing Incident Report
In accordance with usual practice, after TAKEOVER TARGET arrived in Hong Kong, samples were taken from the horse. Upon analysis, the Racing Laboratory advised that this sample contained 17-alpha-hydroxyprogesterone hexanoate. Mr J Janiak, the trainer and managing part-owner of the horse, was advised of this finding. Further blood samples were taken from TAKEOVER TARGET on 14 November 2006, 29 November 2006, 5 December 2006 and 8 December 2006. On each occasion, Dr T S M Wan, Head of Racing Laboratory, advised the Stewards these samples upon analysis showed the presence of 17-alpha-hydroxyprogesterone hexanoate. On each occasion, Mr Janiak was informed of the finding. A further blood sample was taken from TAKEOVER TARGET this morning 10 December 2006 and presented to the Racing Laboratory at about 7:30 am. Dr Wan advised the Stewards at about noon that this sample also contained 17-alpha-hydroxyprogesterone hexanoate. Dr K L Watkins, Head of Veterinary Regulation & International Liaison advised the Stewards that 17-alpha-hydroxyprogesterone hexanoate is a prohibited substance in accordance with the Rules of Racing of The Hong Kong Jockey Club. Mr Janiak was advised of the analyst's finding and informed by the Stewards that in accordance with Rule 12(13) the horse would be withdrawn. Accordingly TAKEOVER TARGET was withdrawn from this race at 12:25 pm. An inquiry into the analyst's findings is now adjourned to a date to be fixed. When the gates opened, MEISHO BOWLER was slow to begin, then refused to stride out and as such took no part in the race. Mr T Shirai, trainer of MEISHO BOWLER, was told before the horse will be permitted to race again, it will be required to perform satisfactorily in a starting gate test. Shortly after the start, ABSOLUTE CHAMPION was crowded for room inside SCINTILLATION which in the early stages hung in. Passing the 200 Metres, ABSOLUTE CHAMPION hung in. When questioned, O Doleuze (DOWN TOWN) said it had again today been decided to take DOWN TOWN back from the start due to a wide barrier. He said at its last start down the Straight over 1000 Metres, the horse closed the race off strongly and it was therefore felt appropriate to adopt the same tactics today. He did say should DOWN TOWN draw a more favourable barrier, the intention would be to have the horse ridden more prominently. SUNNY SING, ABSOLUTE CHAMPION and SILENT WITNESS were sent for sampling.


Breed of the Winning Horse-Online
ABSOLUTE CHAMPION	Sire: Marauding Dam: Beauty Belle

Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint - quotes

10 December 2006

David Hall, trainer, Absolute Champion, winner:

"It would have been pretty hard to say that he could have improved after his last run when he broke the track record, but somehow he's done it. I was very disappointed that he was not selected for the race in the first place - I thought there were no ifs and buts about breaking a track record but he's more than proved that now. That's one of the most impressive wins that I've seen for a long time and it's sweet when it's your own. I know that he had a bit of a reputation before he came to my stable but maybe he just enjoyed the switch. Adding the side-winkers has probably had an effect as well."

Brett Prebble, jockey, Absolute Champion, winner:

"That was some performance. It was amazing. To win a race like this by over four lengths - wow!"

Felix Coetzee - Silent Witness - 2nd - "He's run a great race, but he's found one too good. The winner was a firecracker today."

Jamie Spencer: Benbaun - 3rd. - "Very pleased with his run, they went very fast early, and I was further back than I wanted to be, but turning into the straight I thought he would get into the three."

Mark Wallace: "I am absolutely thrilled to have a horse that has become the first from the Europe to finish in the frame in this race. He deserves to win a really big one - he has only won two Group Three races back home. There is every chance we shall try and do this again."

Olivier Doleuze - Down Town - 4th

"He had a bad gate, and it wasn't his best race today."

Christophe Soumillon - Sunny Sing - 5th

"I don't know. I don't know the horse."

Douglas Whyte, jockey, Billet Express 6th

"He just didn't get into it at any stage."

Manoel Nunes, jockey, Able Prince 7th

"He didn't really want to go on with it at the top of the straight. He's better at 1000m."

Gerald Mosse - Scintillation - 8th

"The pace was plenty fast enough but he showed some good acceleration. Then he seemed to get distracted by something, but believe me he is still a very good horse."

Hugh Bowman, jockey, Red Oog - 9th

"Being drawn out so wide I had to go back on him a bit further than I would have liked and I think the ground was a bit firm for him anyway."

Kenichi Ikezoe, jockey, She Is Tosho - 10th

"We just could not keep up with the others. She did not show her race today."

A Delpech, jockey, Natural Blitz - 11th

"I had the other horse (Desert Lord) at my girth and that did not help. In any case this is not really his trip."

Neil Callan, jockey, Desert Lord - 12th

"The idea was to take a sit but he wouldn't come back to me and I had two hands on one rein just trying to get him around the bend. Couldn't anchor him."

Yuichi Fukunaga - Meisho Bowler - Took No Part

"He just stopped. This is the same thing that he sometimes did in the track works."