The race widely reckoned to be the best international sprint line-up for many
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The American speedster California Flag (Avenue of Flags) and Japan’s Laurel
Guerreiro (King Halo) bustled out for the lead, with the latter holding the
upper hand through an initial quarter in :24.33. California Flag then disposed
of Laurel Guerreiro and opened up by daylight through the half in :46.39. Though
the pacesetter kept on gamely as far as midstretch, he was powerless to fend off
the closing onslaught.
Sacred Kingdom, who had never been far back for Brett Prebble, angled into
the clear, rolled past California Flag, and powered to the front. The
late-running One World (Danehill Dancer) flew home from last to make it close,
but Sacred Kingdom always had enough in reserve to repel his advance by a half-length.
The winner rattled off
about six furlongs in 1:09.16 on the good turf at Sha Tin.
“I had a lovely run in midfield, but I didn’t want to get there too quickly,” Prebble said. “When I was coming off their backs at the top of the straight, I
Yiu was winning the Sprint for the third time, with his first victory
“I felt the same before the race as I did before he won (the KrisFlyer
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Darren Beadman lamented the wide barrier in 12 that forced his hand on One
World, who came from the clouds for runner-up honors.
“He’s run out of his skin — he’d have won with a better gate,” Beadman said.
“We’d have been a few positions closer, and with the way he finished that would
have been enough. I was behind (eventual ninth-placer) Inspiration (Flying Spur)
in the run, and if he had been able to take me into the race a little longer, it
would also have made a difference.”
Joy and Fun (Cullen) was just edged out by One World late and settled for
third, with Green Birdie (Catbird) a heroic fourth in his first start in nine
months. California Flag did best of the
international runners when fighting on bravely for fifth, but his American compatriot
Cannonball (Catienus) did not fare as well in 10th.
“If I hadn’t had the Japanese horse taking me on, we might have been able to
hang on,” California Flag’s rider Joe Talamo said. “He was always making me do
too much.”
Total Gallery (Namid), up close throughout, wound up sixth, followed by
Apache Cat (Lion Cavern), All Silent (Belong to Me), Inspiration, Cannonball, Borderlescott (Compton Place), War Artist (Orpen),
Laurel Guerreiro and Australian Horse of the Year Scenic Blast (Scenic [Ire]).
The three-strong Australian contingent had a rough go of it in the Sprint.
While All Silent lunged at the start and had traffic trouble entering the final
furlong, his fellow Australians Apache Cat and Scenic Blast came up with
physical excuses upon veterinary examination. Apache Cat was found to be lame in
his left front leg, and Scenic Blast bled from both nostrils. Scenic Blast’s bid for a $1 million bonus
for taking out three legs of the Global Sprint Challenge in three countries thus ended in anticlimax.
During the 2007-08 Hong Kong season, he also captured the
His 2008-09 season was delayed by injury, which denied him the opportunity to
With those three runs under his belt, the six-year-old gelding
Sacred Kingdom invaded Royal Ascot for the Golden Jubilee S. (Eng-G1) in
Like all previous Sprint winners, Sacred Kingdom is an Australian native.
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