The fitness and tactical speed of Gold-Fun look the key attributes that can make him only the second Classic Mile winner to take the second of the four-year-old Group Ones, the Classic Cup at Sha Tin today, says the Racing Post in Hong Kong.Only Floral Pegasus (2007) has been successful in both the 1,600m and 1,800m legs of the classic series before he didn't stay and was beaten narrowly in the Derby by Vital King, and this race presents that same usual conundrum.The 1,800m course at Sha Tin is

The fitness and tactical speed of Gold-Fun look the key attributes that can make him only the second Classic Mile winner to take the second of the four-year-old Group Ones, the Classic Cup at Sha Tin today, says the Racing Post in Hong Kong.

Only Floral Pegasus (2007) has been successful in both the 1,600m and 1,800m legs of the classic series before he didn't stay and was beaten narrowly in the Derby by Vital King, and this race presents that same usual conundrum.

The 1,800m course at Sha Tin is not really a true stayer's course, with the tempo usually only steady through the long, straight run down the back of the course to the first and only turn.

And the line-up in the race isn't suggesting any other scenario in this edition of the Classic Cup.

Wah May Star (Howard Cheng Yue-tin) looks the obvious leader but, minus the blinkers that saw him virtually take charge of his rider in the Classic Mile, there is no reason to think he will go as quickly as he did then.

Most likely, horses like Blazing Speed and President Lincoln will be the nearest chasers but happy to sit behind the pace.

Gold-Fun (Douglas Whyte) has a wide gate but has shown previously that he can be wherever his rider wants to put him in a race, and even in the very fast mid-race splits of the Classic Mile he was reasonably handy to the front group.

He did a tremendous job to hold off the finishers last start after doing a huge amount of work sitting wide and the extra 200m won't trouble him if he can find the right run. The likely moderate speed is not going to suit a lot of these staying types still getting to a peak and looking for more ground, and the way the race will be run must give Wah May Star a chance to put the lie to his last run.

The effort simply has to be forgotten - he would have to have been Frankel to sustain that mid-race pace in the Classic Mile.

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