The Fugue’s the one to beat in HK Vase

The Fugue is well clear of defending champ Red Cadeaux and 2011 winner Dunaden on the international ratings (Hong Kong Jockey Club)

The past two winners of the Group 1, $1.9 million Hong Kong Vase — defending
champion Red Cadeaux and 2011 hero Dunaden — clash in Sunday’s renewal, but
they’re not the story line. That distinction goes to the magnificent filly The
Fugue, who brings sparkling form, a ferocious turn of foot, and easily the
highest international rating in the 14-horse field.

The Fugue was an English highweight last season, thanks to her stunning
victories in the Nassau and Musidora Stakes, her narrow loss to Shareta in the
Yorkshire Oaks and her troubled thirds in both the Epsom Oaks and the Breeders’
Cup Filly & Mare Turf.

Kept in training with John Gosden for a four-year-old
campaign, the daughter of Dansili resumed with an admirable third to Al Kazeem
in the Prince of Wales’s at Royal Ascot. A dirty scope contributed to her
uncharacteristic last in the Eclipse, but she bounced right back to dominate the
Yorkshire Oaks by four resounding lengths.

Next avenging herself on Al Kazeem in the Irish Champion, The Fugue looked
bound for redemption at Santa Anita, this time when tackling males in the
Breeders’ Cup Turf. But she was caught in the final strides by Magician, to the
dismay of regular rider William Buick. The Fugue aims to leave that
disappointment behind at Sha Tin, where she has drawn toward the inside in post
3.

Red Cadeaux, a dead-heat third to Dunaden in the 2011 Vase, turned the tables last year (Hong Kong Jockey Club)

Red Cadeaux reverts to about 1 1/2 miles for the first time since
his sixth in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth in July. Handed post 11, the
seven-year-old will need all of Mosse’s wiles to join Luso (1996-97) and Doctor
Dino (2007-08) as repeat Vase winners.

Dunaden hasn’t had as much success as during his 2011 heyday, when he denied
Red Cadeaux at Flemington and beat him again into third in the Vase. Although
his only win in the interim came in the 2012 Caulfield Cup, the French
globetrotter has often run well in defeat. This year, the Mikel Delzangles
trainee’s highlights include seconds to St Nicholas Abbey in the Coronation Cup
and to Novellist in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud; a fourth to St Nicholas Abbey
and Gentildonna in the Dubai Sheema Classic; and a close fifth to Gentildonna,
faring best of the internationals, in the November 24 Japan Cup. That
represented a quick turnaround after his 11th under top weight in the Melbourne
Cup, and the Vase will be his third race in a month.

Mount Athos, Simenon and Dandino — the respective third, fourth and fifth at
Melbourne — are all renewing rivalry at Sha Tin.

High-class stayer Mount Athos aims to establish his credentials at 1 1/2 miles (Hong Kong Jockey Club)

Simenon, who spent time hurdling last winter for Willie Mullins, is another
who must establish his effectiveness at this distance. Just fended off by the
Queen’s Estimate in the Ascot Gold Cup, the high-class stayer lost another tight
decision to Ahzeemah in the Lonsdale Cup. He prepped for the Melbourne Cup with
a terrific third to Sea Moon in the about 1 1/2-mile Herbert Power, but in his
latest attempt in the Japan Cup, he was only 13th.

Dandino, seventh to Red Cadeaux here last year, is arguably more reliable
these days. Switched to Marco Botti over the winter, he opened 2013 with a pair
of strong seconds in the Jockey Club at Newmarket and the Hardwicke at Royal
Ascot. Dandino then extricated himself from traffic trouble to confirm his
superiority in the American St Leger at Arlington. Second in the Caulfield Cup
in his Australian debut, he was a sneakily-good fifth in the Melbourne Cup after
being shuffled back and out of position. Dropping back to 1 1/2 miles promises
to suit the nearly-black son of Dansili, who could contribute to an exacta for
his sire.

Dunaden had a busy November with runs in both the Melbourne and Japan Cups, but gives no sign of regressing (Hong Kong Jockey Club)

Germany has no fewer than three chances. The Peter Schiergen-trained Nymphea
turned in a tour de force on the front end in the Grosser Preis von Berlin in
July, and her tactical speed could be put to good use here. Third in the
International Bosphorus Cup two back, she floundered on the desperately soft
going in the British Champions Fillies and Mares at Ascot in her latest, but
will find more congenial conditions at Sha Tin.

Seismos has acquitted himself well in his last three attempts at this
distance for Andreas Wohler. A four-length romper in the Grosser Preis von
Bayern, he pressed Novellist when a close second in the Grosser Preis von Baden.
Seismos was all at sea in the 2 1/2-mile Prix Cadran, but regrouped with a third
in the Canadian International last out.

Michael Figge will send out Feuerblitz, who was last in the 2012 Hong Kong
Cup and accordingly tries the longer Vase this year. Fourth to Seismos in his
belated reappearance at Munich, and a long way behind Nymphea when 10th in
Istanbul, he has gone on to win two straight. Feuerblitz got back on track in a
listed event at Strasbourg en route to taking the Premio Roma.

Japan’s hopeful Asuka Kurichan exits a new career high in the Copa Republica
Argentina at Tokyo. The form was franked when the placegetters came back to
finish fourth and sixth, respectively, in the Japan Cup. Still, the six-year-old
will be taking his first test against Group 1 company.