John O'Shea was shattered after Sea Siren's flop in the Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin. The three-time Grp 1-winning mare finished a distant ninth to Japanese star Lord Kanaloa. Relishing the slick pace set by Cerise Cherry, jockey Yasunari Iwata - best known for his Melbourne Cup-winning ride on Delta Blues in 2006 - gave Lord Kanaloa full rein at the 300m to score comfortably by 2.5 lengths over Cerise Cherry, with Captain Sweet third. Sea Siren raced well below expectations. O'Shea says: ''She h
John O'Shea was shattered after Sea Siren's flop in the Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin. The three-time Grp 1-winning mare finished a distant ninth to Japanese star Lord Kanaloa. Relishing the slick pace set by Cerise Cherry, jockey Yasunari Iwata - best known for his Melbourne Cup-winning ride on Delta Blues in 2006 - gave Lord Kanaloa full rein at the 300m to score comfortably by 2.5 lengths over Cerise Cherry, with Captain Sweet third. Sea Siren raced well below expectations. O'Shea says: ''She had an ideal preparation and I'm at a loss to explain the run...I just want to watch the replay and speak to Jimmy [Cassidy]. She fits the right profile of a sprint winner and had a perfect preparation. I was thinking of going to England but now plans are a little hazy. I just want to get her home and possibly look at a race like the T.J. [Smith].''
Zac Purton stands atop the Hong Kong racing world after his dynamic winning ride on Ambitious Dragon at Sha Tin. The Aussie jockey notched the biggest win of his Hong Kong career in the Hong Kong Cup. Purton landed the money with a beautifully judged ride to cap a stellar year which has seen him get married; win at Royal Ascot on Little Bridge and win the International Jockeys series in Japan last month. 'It's just great. Fantastic win from a very good horse and a great thrill for me,' says Purton, who is now second only to champion Douglas Whyte on the Hong Kong jockey's premiership.
Trainer Lee Freedman is quitting Sydney to return to Victoria. The Hall Of Fame trainer has formally announced the end of his training partnership with Graeme Rogerson. In a letter to his owners, Freedman says Rogerson will continue to operate from the Randwick stables.