The Hayes family walked away from Thursday morning’s FWD Champions Day barrier draw grinning from ear to ear, while star local miler Voyage Bubble and three of the leading Group One QE II Cup (2,000m) hopes will have to overcome wide gates at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Ka Ying Rising will jump from gate four in his bid for a 12th straight win and fourth Group One success of the season – the lowest gate the world’s best sprinter has been handed since February last year.
“I’m very happy after the barrier draw. It’s the first time he’s drawn a marble for a long time,” said David Hayes of his red-hot Group One Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1,200m) favourite.
“Just looking at it briefly, I think the three inside him [A Shin Fencer, Danon McKinley and Beauty Waves], he’s a bit faster than them – he’s faster than most horses, really. He’ll get the rail and Zac [Purton] will be able to choose whether he takes a sit or takes it up.”
David Hayes looks to have a mortgage on the Chairman’s Sprint Prize and his sons Ben, Will & JD were handed a boost when Australian superstar Mr Brightside drew gate two for the Group One Champions Mile and race favourite Voyage Bubble was lumped with gate 10.
“Barrier two is a good draw – we’re a bit more relaxed after the barrier draw,” said Ben Hayes.
“He’s been a touch unlucky this prep – he’s drawn wide barriers where we’ve had to make decisions and put him in the race and he’s raced very well,” Hayes added of the nine-time Group One winner.
“Barrier two just gives Craig [Williams] more options. In Hong Kong generally the tempo is that little bit faster so he might be able to take a sit or he might end up out in front.”
While Voyage Bubble will jump from his widest gate of the season in his pursuit of a fourth consecutive Group One triumph, trainer Ricky Yiu Poon-fai is confident jockey James McDonald will take the barrier out of the equation.
“I would rather him draw slightly wider than inside. We will travel midfield somewhere and if we’re lucky we can [sit] one-off, or otherwise three wide with cover. James knows him really well and I don’t think the draw will be a problem,” said Yiu.
Voyage Bubble and Mr Brightside dominate Champions Mile betting but Hong Kong Derby runner-up My Wish is also in single figures in fixed-odds markets after scoring the inside alley.
“It was a bit of a relief, actually,” trainer Mark Newnham said of My Wish, who was a tragedy beaten from gate 14 in the Derby after snaring the Classic Mile two starts earlier.
“Barrier one is great. It gives Luke [Ferraris] some options and, as he’s shown through the season, he’s a pretty versatile horse.”
The overseas raiding party were very much hit with the visitors draws for the QE II Cup, with Japanese pair Liberty Island and Tastiera, who filled the placings behind Romantic Warrior in December’s Group One Hong Kong Cup (2,000m), hit with gates 11 and 10, respectively, while French gun Goliath will begin from stall nine.
At the other end of the spectrum, Purton will have gate one at his disposal aboard Kiwi galloper El Vencedor and the other Japanese runner in the race, Prognosis, looks well placed out of gate six under McDonald.
