Australian challenge ends in disaster

Sydney Morning Herald

Monday December 14, 2009

Chris Roots

HONG KONG: Australian hopes were shattered as Hong Kong superstar Sacred Kingdom confirmed his place at the top of international rankings with a commanding win in the group 1 Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin yesterday.As the six-year-old romped to his second success in the race in three years, Australian contenders Apache Cat and All Silent finished midfield, with horse of the year Scenic Blast bleeding and finishing last.Jockey Damien Oliver quickly jumped off Apache Cat after the post as the seven-year-old pulled up sore. "He was just feeling a leg and I didn't want to take any chances," he said. "I don't think it is life-threatening and I didn't feel it until after the post."All Silent's trainer, Grahame Begg, was left to rue "chequered passage" as his star was never able to hit top gear and ran eighth, just behind Apache Cat, as jockey Nick Hall searched for inside runs."It was always going to be difficult," Begg said. "I told him [Hall] not to be out wide on the turn and he took short cuts and ran into a chequered passage in the straight. It hasn't been a good day for Australia with the other two pulling up with problems, but what can you do?"My horse is fine and we'll just go home and look for another race."While the Australian horses floundered, expat jockeys Brett Prebble and Darren Beadman took the quinella in the race.Prebble, the leading rider in Hong Kong this season, was supremely confident with Sacred Kingdom ($2.50 fav) and rode him like a good thing. "I expected this," he said. "Sometimes when it's unexpected it is a bit more of a buzz, but I expected [to win] and it all went to plan."The race worked out perfectly for Sacred Kingdom, the Australian-bred son of Encosta De Lago, as he scored a half-length win from One World ($10) with Joy And Fun ($21) a neck away in third.Prebble settled Sacred Kingdom fifth as US hope California Flag was driven mad by Japan's Laurel Guerreiro in front and coming to the turn he would have been laughing."I just had to bide my time," he said. "He's the best sprinter in the world, as long as he has got one to run down he is right. When I got off their backs [in the straight] I thought, 'Just count to 10, count to 10,' then I went and nothing was going to catch me."Sacred Kingdom, which was beaten in the International Sprint Trial three weeks ago, had overcome legs problems to return a two-time sprint champion after winning in 2007. "It is a great team effort: the vets, me and [trainer] Ricky [Yiu] put on our thinking caps and we came up with the right result," Prebble said."I thought after his last start he would take the step forward and after his last piece of work I thought the only thing that would beat him was getting there [to the lead] too soon."Earlier, French filly Daryakana remained unbeaten when she won the Hong Kong Vase, 2400m, at only her fifth start with a late charge down the centre of the track.She claimed favourite Spanish Moon on the line to win by a short head with another French stayer, Kasbah Bliss, only a neck back in third. Daryakana became the second three-year-old filly after Vallee Enchantee in 2003 to win the vase in its 16-year history and the eighth winner from France.