Two-time Group Three-winning import Flaming Rabbit debuts in a Class Two contest over 1,400m at Sha Tin on Sunday, one month to the day after Douglas Whyte decided against running him first up in the city’s most prestigious race, the Hong Kong Derby (2,000m).
Flaming Rabbit, who won the 2021 Zukunfts-Rennen (1,400m) at Baden-Baden in Germany and the 2022 Thoroughbred Stakes (1,600m) at Goodwood in the United Kingdom before he joined Whyte from Peter Schiergen in December, had a sufficiently high rating to make the Derby field.
Whyte, who rode three Derby winners in the 2010s and trained 2021 runner-up Russian Emperor, turned down the opportunity for Flaming Rabbit to become the first galloper to make his Hong Kong debut in a Derby since Lik Rambo finished last of 14th in 1996.
According to Whyte, his choice to bypass the Derby with Flaming Rabbit was not only a simple one but also a correct one, even though $46 roughie Voyage Bubble won the HK$24 million Classic Series finale.
“It wasn’t a difficult decision to withdraw him from the Derby. I’d have done the horse no justice. He’d only had one trial, and I didn’t think he was fit enough,” Whyte said of Flaming Rabbit, who was also second in the Group Two Mehl-Mulhens-Rennen (1,600m) – Germany’s equivalent of the English 2,000 Guineas – when he competed for Schiergen as Rocchigiani.
“He’s had three trials now, and he should be fit enough. He’s certainly looking good enough.”
“Whatever he does, he’s going to improve. I don’t suggest he’ll be winning first up. He’s still new to the place and settling in. However, he’s a lovely horse going forward,” said Whyte, who has booked Karis Teetan to steer Flaming Rabbit from gate four in what is one of the best races on the programme.
Among Flaming Rabbit’s Class Two Pollock Handicap opponents are a couple of last-start winners, Circuit Stellar and Red Lion, both of whom scored during the March 11 meeting at Sha Tin under Zac Purton.
Purton jumps off Circuit Stellar, who led all the way in back-to-back Class Two events under the champion jockey, to stick with Red Lion, who finally broke through in Hong Kong after going close in several of his first six post-import outings. Purton has told Jockey Club stewards he is likely to weigh out one pound over Red Lion’s handicap impost of 119lbs.
Also in the Pollock Handicap line-up are Circuit Stellar’s fast-finishing Tony Cruz stablemate, The Golden Scenery, and a couple of last-start Class Two runners-up, Fantastic Treasure and Packing Treadmill.
The Golden Scenery reunites with Luke Ferraris, who was the five-year-old backmarker’s rider when he won a Class Two contest over 1,400m late last season.
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Like The Golden Scenery, Fantastic Treasure reopposes Circuit Stellar 29 days on from their March 11 clash, and the David Hayes-prepared galloper meets both of his Cruz-conditioned opponents better at the weights.
Packing Treadmill, who followed up his Classic Mile third with a next-start 1,200m second to Victor The Winner, splits the difference and competes at 1,400m, the trip over which he won in Class Two in November.
Both Fantastic Treasure and Packing Treadmill have new jockeys for their Pollock Handicap runs from wide barriers, with Hugh Bowman partnering the former from gate 10 and Vincent Ho Chak-yiu teaming up with the latter from gate 12 for Francis Lui Kin-wai.
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