Sprinters Stakes News (4)
Thursday morning's blue skies marked the end of rain over Nakayama Racecourse where Hong Kong
champion sprinter Silent Witness jumped from the gate in a turf hit-out in 12.7-10.4-12.4 for 600m in preparation for the Sprinters Stakes on Sunday.
"Silent Witness
has become lazy so the jump-out is the only way I can make him
gallop,"
trainer Tony Cruz said.
Satisfied with the gallop, Cruz remains nonplussed
with his champion sprinter's weight of 1265lbs - well over the 1227lbs of last year¡¦s winning run ¡V and commented on the mood back home surrounding Silent
Witness¡¦ participation in the latest leg of the Global Sprint Challenge.
"There¡¦s a lot of criticism in Hong Kong. People
say we should retire him. That we should do right by him and not make him look
like a fool.
"But I as the trainer have the last say and I think the
horse can win the race on Sunday. I¡¦m not as confident as I was last year when
he was unbeatable because he has lost a bit of speed, but I reckon he¡¦s just as
fit and I don¡¦t think age is a problem," Cruz argued.
Silent Witness finished "jarred-up" by firm ground after a disappointing show
in his last race, the Champions Mile in May, after which his joints were injected.
"As long as he doesn¡¦t feel any soreness he has a big chance. I just hope he doesn¡¦t disappoint
the fans. Win or lose, I hope the fans will appreciate what we¡¦re trying to do,¡¨ added Cruz.
The three other foreign competitors - Les
Arcs, Benbaun and Takeover
Target - appeared for work and trainer
of the latter, Joe Janiak, drew a good share of the media
attention.
A former cabbie in Canberra
who purchased Takeover Target for a little over HK$7,250, Janiak's tale
puts Seabiscuit to shame.
Reflecting on the Centaur Stakes on September 10, which Takeover Target took on just ten days after arriving in Japan, Janiak said he had found the
Japanese competition ¡§a lot harder than what I had expected.¡¨
He partly laid the blame for a three-lengths
defeat to She Is Tosho to a lack of "proper training
facilities," believing that
international raiders in Japan are put at an unfair disadvantage with the quarantine
facilities offered.
¡§If Japan wants to get good horses from abroad and be part of an international series, then they should
offer the same training facilities as the home horses have,¡¨ Janiak grumbled.
Takeover Target,
along with Silent Witness and leading British hopeful Les Arcs, are gaining the lion¡¦s share of attention for the
weekend feature and some believe they will form the trio on Sunday. Little attention is being given the Japanese
horses, save for Orewa Matteruze and She is Tosho, though both
are not considered well suited to the Nakayama track.
Suteki Shinsukekun is also
likely to draw a good share of the
wagers.
Silent Witness
does fast work
on the turf at Nakayama Racecourse this morning.
