Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Sports World

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Melbourne Cup winner Americain only third in Hong Kong Posted: 14 Dec 2010 07:10 AM PST Australia horse racing fans will be interested to know that in a race that wouldn't have been ideally run to suit him, recent Emirates Melbourne Cup hero Americain put in a solid effort to finish a respectable third behind impressive winner Mastery in the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase at Sha Tin on Sunday. Staying is very much the name of the game for the Alain de Royer-Dupre-trained five-year-old, who became the first French horse to win Australia's greatest race when finishing powerfully over two miles at Flemington in November to beat Mayluckyday and local hero So You Think in such memorable fashion. A fast run mile-and-a-half would have played to the stamina strengths of the son of Dynaformer, but with the race developing into a crawl for the first five furlongs it was always going to turn into a speed test, and although he stayed on very well to snatch third, Americain never looked likely to beat the impressive Mastery, who was given a masterful ride by Italian ace Frankie Dettori. Sensing that there was no pace in the race, Dettori dashed the Godolphin horse into the lead two furlongs out and stole a march on the field. Canadian International winner Redwood, trained by Barry Hills, stayed on strongly to take second, two-and-a-half lengths behind the winner and half-a-length in front of Americain, with Japanese star Jaguar Mall keeping-on for fourth. The Saeed bin Suroor-trained winner was returning to the top of his game having won last year's final British classic, the St Leger at Doncaster, before two more solid efforts in upsetting the best odds by finishing third in the Breeders' Cup Marathon at Santa Anita and then fifth to Gloria de Campeao in the Dubai World Cup in March. After a six month break, the son of Sulamani landed a small race at Kempton on the all-weather track, an outing which brought him cherry-ripe for this notable success in Hong Kong.

Ortensia runs with credit in Hong Kong Sprint Posted: 14 Dec 2010 07:05 AM PST She might not have finished in the placings, but Tony Noonan's mare Ortensia was far from disgraced in finishing an honourable fifth in the top class Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin on Sunday, less than two lengths behind surprise winner JJ The Jet Plane. The only Australian representative at the high-profile international fixture, the five-year-old settled towards the rear of the field before delighting Australia horse racing fans by making headway two furlongs out under Craig Williams. Although never able to land a blow at the leaders, Ortensia, a 33/1 shot for the Group 1 contest, kept on bravely to grab fifth place in the 14-strong field and earn her connections around AUS$60,000, a sum that should cover the expenses and leave a bit to spare. The six furlong (1200m) contest was run at breakneck speed and for much of the final furlong it looked as if star Singapore sprinter Rocket Man was going to score at the main expense of local hero Sacred Kingdom, who was going for his third successive victory in the event. The two main protagonists were caught out close home, however, by South African star JJ The Jet Plane (racing odds of 17/1), who came with a searing late burst of speed under Piere Strydom to get up and nab Rocket Man on the line, with Sacred Kingdom right behind in third. Ortensia, a winner of three of her previous 14 starts in Australia, was last seen finishing third in the Grade 1 Patinack Farm Classic at Flemington last month, but this was a definite step forward and hints that the mare could be competitive in the top grade at international level, should Noonan decide to travel the Fraser family's mare overseas again next season.

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