The barrier draw for the Group 1 Champions Mile has given leading connections plenty to smile about ahead of Sunday’s Hong Kong racing showcase.
Ben Hayes was thrilled after Mr Brightside landed barrier two, giving the Australian star a tactical advantage over key rival Voyage Bubble, who drew the wider gate 10.
“Very happy,” Hayes said, summing up the Lindsay Park camp’s reaction.
Voyage Bubble, a last-start winner of the Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m), switches back to a mile for this feature, skipping the QE II Cup. Trainer Ricky Yiu explained the move.
“It is an easier task,” Yiu noted. “We preferred to go over the mile even though he goes well over both and even as a six-year-old he is like he was when he came to us at four. There’s still improvement in him.”
Royal Patronage will fly the flag for Adrian Bott and Gai Waterhouse, following his runner-up finish in the Doncaster Mile. Bott is embracing the underdog role.
“Rightly so,” he said of the spotlight on Mr Brightside. “He’s got the form around the right horses and we bring similar form here.”
Bott also commented on Royal Patronage’s adjustment period since arriving in Hong Kong.
“No doubt that if it was as straight forward as bringing his form over from Sydney, I think that is enough to see him being competitive,” he added. “We feel that we have brought the right horse here.”
Elsewhere on the card, Ka Ying Rising drew ideally in barrier four for the Chairman’s Sprint Prize, while Helio Express faces a task from gate 13.
“There’s no strategising against Ka Ying Rising,” said trainer John Size, indicating the dominance of the local star.
Liberty Island, the Japanese favourite for the QE II Cup, will start from barrier 11.