HORSERACING – BAHRAIN’S two highest rated horses, Calif and Goemon, are primed for action and ready to run at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong tomorrow.
The pair will be competing at the prestigious Champions Day meeting, Hong Kong racing’s season-finale. The event features three elite Group One races and has attracted runners from all over the world.
Representing Bahrain in the day’s most valuable race, the Queen Elizabeth II Cup, worth $3.582million, will be Calif, owned by Victorious Racing and trained by Fawzi Nass.
Calif has experience of racing at Sha Tin, having run well on his last visit in December, when he finished sixth behind the great Romantic Warrior.
Romantic Warrior will not be in the line-up on Sunday, but there is still high-class opposition for Calif to overcome, notably the French-trained Goliath, who is the highest-rated horse in the field. The 11-horse line-up also includes strong representation from Japan, led by Liberty Island, who finished ahead of Calif at Sha Tin last year.
Calif’s jockey, Adrie de Vries, hoping the return to 2,000m after trying 2,400m in Dubai, will give the six-year-old a chance of making the frame. “His last run in Dubai was a little bit disappointing but it was the first time over a mile-and-a-half and I think that was too far for him, so I think he had an excuse,” said de Vries.
“He ran a good race (in Hong Kong) in December. I want to sit a little bit closer this time if I can, the problem is Calif is sometimes slow from the gate. Previously, he ran a very good race in Saudi, so hopefully he can repeat that run and be in the frame.”
Joining Calif in Hong Kong is Bahrain’s leading miler, Goemon, who runs in the Group One Champions Mile, worth $3.07million.
Goemon enjoyed a wonderful domestic season for owner Mohammed Khalid Abdulrahim and trainer Haider Ebrahim, winning four times, as well as running well in Saudi and creditably in Dubai to confirm his status as Bahrain’s best miler.
In Dubai, Goemon stepped up to 1,800m and the return to 1,600m at Sha Tin is likely to suit. The locally trained Voyage Bubble and the multiple Group One-winning Australian horse, Mr Brightside, lead a deep field of quality opposition, with 13 runners in total.
Ebrahim said: “The Dubai Turf was 1,800m and we decided to come to Hong Kong because he’s a miler, and this trip will suit him much better.
“Goemon is a champion in Bahrain, and I think he’s at his peak now.”
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