Punters appear to have disregarded All Silent's wide barrier for Sunday's International Sprint at Sha Tin in Hong Kong.The Grahame Begg-trained flyer has been well backed with Australian bookmakers a day after being easy in the markets after drawing gate 14 of 14 for the 1200-metre Group One feature.All Silent is in from $4.40 to $4.20 with Sportingbet while local star Sacred Kingdom is the $4.60 second pick.All Silent is one of three Australians in the Hong Kong sprint with Apache Cat, third in
Punters appear to have disregarded All Silent's wide barrier for Sunday's International Sprint at Sha Tin in Hong Kong.
The Grahame Begg-trained flyer has been well backed with Australian bookmakers a day after being easy in the markets after drawing gate 14 of 14 for the 1200-metre Group One feature.
All Silent is in from $4.40 to $4.20 with Sportingbet while local star Sacred Kingdom is the $4.60 second pick.
All Silent is one of three Australians in the Hong Kong sprint with Apache Cat, third in the race last year, to start from barrier nine and Scenic Blast from three.
Apache Cat is friendless in betting with Sportingbet, out from $8.50 to $10.
Centrebet has All Silent as the $4.20 favourite with Sacred Kingdom at $4.40.
The pair were locked together as $4.40 equal favourites early in betting.
Centrebet has Scenic Blast at $6.50 and Apache Cat at $10.
Betstar has All Silent and Sacred Kingdom as $4.20 equal favourites ahead of Scenic Blast at $6.50 with Apache Cat rated a $9 chance.
Begg admitted All Silent's draw wasn't ideal.
"We might have to take hold and concede ground while others are going forward. But maybe it might just better the odds," Begg said.
Apache Cat's trainer Greg Eurell was happy with his horse's situation.
"(Jockey) Damien Oliver said he was very keen for a middle to outside gate, rather than being cluttered up inside," Eurell said.
"It gives him options and it's probably better to be sliding forward than niggling from an inside gate to hold a spot."
Dan Morton, trainer of reigning Australian Horse of the Year Scenic Blast, was also happy with his horse's gate.
"He usually goes back but he won't get too far out of his ground from there," he said. "It's a nice alley."
Scenic Blast won the King's Stand at Royal Ascot in June but was out of the placings in the July Cup at Newmarket and had a torrid run in the Spring Stakes in Japan in September.
Morton has been pleased with Scenic Blast since he arrived in Hong Kong despite a setback with a slight hoof problem which kept him out of the Sprint Trial.
He subsequently came through a barrier trial in fine style with race jockey Steven Arnold aboard.
"He's right back where I need him to be," Morton said.
The Ricky Yiu Poon-Fai-trained Sacred Kingdom was a brilliant winner of the Sprint two years ago.
Australia's hope in the Hong Kong Mile, Racing To Win, is the $15 equal third favourite with Egyptian Ra.
The market is dominated by Good Ba Ba who is chasing a hat-trick of wins in the race and is the $2.80 favourite ahead of Happy Zero .
Centrebet has Good Ba Ba as $2.75 favourite with Happy Zero at $3.80 while Racing To Win is at $15.
Racing Victoria chief handicapper Greg Carpenter has tipped All Silent to win the Sprint.
Carpenter is in Hong Kong for the International Handicappers' conference.