Cirrus Des Aigles enjoying ‘playground’ atmosphere in Hong Kong

Fixture at Hong Kong Jockey Club will pay out HK$72 million, has global feel and continues to grow, writes Geoffrey Riddle.

Cirrus Des Aigles gallops on the turf track during a Hong Kong International Trackwork Session at Sha Tin racecourse on Saturday in Hong Kong. Vince Caligiuri / Getty Images

Cirrus Des Aigles leads a stellar international party in Hong Kong on Sunday morning when the evergreen globe-trotter attempts to finally put the record straight at Sha Tin Racecourse.

It was in Hong Kong 12 months ago that Corine Barande-Barbe’s gelding picked up a tendon injury, just days before what was to be his fourth run in the special administrative region.

The 2012 Dubai Sheema Classic winner was fifth in the Hong Kong Vase in 2009, and he was subsequently seventh and fifth in the Hong Kong Cup.

Cirrus Des Aigles has always been the stable favourite at Barande-Barbe’s Chantilly base in France, but the seven year old appears to be becoming wiser with age. Although the horse is well-versed in the surrounds of Sha Tin, he has not been completely compliant with his training regimen.

As in Dubai, the French challengers have trained together in the mornings, led by Dunaden, who starts in the Vase, but Cirrus Des Aigles has worked alone.

Earlier this week, he pulled off under regular jockey Christophe Soumillon, but Barande-Barbe felt this was a good sign.

“He really loves it here,” she said.

“According to his exercise rider Zoe Gargoulaud, he always acts exactly the same way at exactly the same points around the track, as if it was his playground.

“Look at him staring at the mountains. It is a real shame that he has never really succeeded at Sha Tin, but it has been only a matter of bad luck.”

The French challenger is joined in the 2,000-metre race by fellow international runner Little Mike, who has rebuilt his reputation this season after suffering an injury when finishing 11th to Sajjhaa in the Godolphin Mile on World Cup night.

The 2012 Breeders’ Cup Turf winner bounced back in September when claiming the Grade 1 Joe Hirsh Invitational, before finishing seventh while trying to defend his title in Santa Anita last month,

Bolstering the international brigade is Side Glance, fourth in the Dubai World Cup, who secured his first Group 1 victory in Australia last month when wining the Mackinnon Stakes. Tokei Halo from Japan, Grandeur from England and Neatico from Germany complete the raiders.

Cirrus Des Aigles, who last ran when second to Godolphin’s Farhh in the Champion Stakes at Ascot Racecourse in October, is being aimed at a repeat bid in the Sheema Classic in March.

The internationals face a robust home defence today in the HK$22 million (Dh10.4m) event from Military Attack, who also is set to grace Meydan Racecourse.

Trainer John Moore said that Military Attack is being aimed at the Dubai World Cup, and the five year old advertised his ability to travel when he was a wide-margin winner of the International Cup at Kranji Racecourse in May, a race Moore hopes to defend.

Military Attack has not won in two subsequent starts, but Moore believes that he has been building up his charge with this race specifically in mind.

“I couldn’t have him any fitter than he is for the grand final,” Moore said. “I think there will definitely be more improvement to come, because it hasn’t been the ideal prep leading into this.

“It would have been nice to get one more run into him, but that wasn’t possible unless we got him going very early on in the season.

“I think he will just keep improving up to Dubai and Singapore.”

Fixture has global feel and continues to grow

The Hong Kong Jockey Club has promised to take their international race meeting to the next level as the HK$72 million (Dh34.1m) fixture gets underway on Sunday with a strong international representation.

A bumper European challenge will contest the four Group 1 races at Sha Tin; the Vase, Sprint, Mile and Cup, while horses such as the top-class Japanese sprinter Lord Kanaloa, Breeders’ Cup winner Little Mike and Australian challenger Linton add flavour from around the world. The withdrawal of Dandino and Galileo Rock yesterday from the Vase due to soft-tissue injuries in their legs leaves the European challenge down to 19 of the 26 foreign raiders.

The Hong Kong Cup was allocated Group 1 status in 1999, and Winfried Engelbrecht Bresges, the CEO of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, was looking to the future.

“We started with a vision to do this in 1999/2000, and from 2001 we always had five-year plans in place,” he said.

“We were quicker at building up the brand than we thought, but I think if you have a vision, it attracts the best horses.

“We will embark on the next phase to develop this further.”

Although the initial international entry in October was 241 horses from 19 countries, this was, in fact, a drop in numbers from 267 the previous season.

In terms of a spectacle, the clash of ages between the European fillies Moonlight Cloud and Sky Lantern in the Mile is a mouth-watering prospect.

But in terms of quality, there is not a horse running today in the top 10 of the world thoroughbred rankings.

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