Track and trip will be great, thank you

You have heard of “coming attractions”. It is a term used loosely to describe the next best thing coming your way – be it a hit movie or an award-winning stage show.

Well, to take it a step further, “coming attraction” could also be used to herald the beginning of a new chapter in the fortunes of a racehorse.

Today, trainer Ricardo Le Grange must be feeling like he has a great tenor in his barn and he must get everything pitch-perfect before the next show.

Today, his “tenor” is not a Pavarotti or a Caruso.

It is a racehorse. His name is Hongkong Great and, on the sly, many are viewing him as the next big thing to hit our shores.

Today, Le Grange has Hongkong Great’s sights set on the feature races on the turf later this year.

But before that, there is the “coming attraction”.

It comes in the form and shape of an $85,000 race over the Polytrack mile on Saturday.

For now, that is the target Le Grange has set for his Chilean-bred gelding.

Following that, the handler will point his galloper towards the feature races coming up later in the season.

Formerly known as El Picaro and a three-time Group 1 winner (1,600m-2,000m on the turf) in his native Chile as a two and three-year-old, the horse tried his luck in America, where he was unplaced in four starts.

He was then sold to continue his racing career in Hong Kong, where he was under the care of trainer Danny Shum.

While there, all of his three wins were on the all-weather track over 1,650m.

It is that statistic which makes Le Grange optimistic that Saturday’s assignment will jump-start Hongkong Great’s career after two unplaced runs, albeit over unsuitable sprint trips on the turf.

The latest was a throw at the Group 1 Lion City Cup (1,200m) stumps. 

But, like a boxer needing more than just miles in his legs, Le Grange reckons Hongkong Great will benefit from those two runs.

“I think the term is ‘ring rusty’. You can work them and trial them all you want, but horses like this, they need the fight of a real race,” said Le Grange.

“Having had a long break, he was probably underdone. But he came through those races in good order and we could not be happier with him stepping up to the mile.”

Then there is that thing about Hongkong Great and the Polytrack.

“His sand form was obviously far superior compared to his turf form in Hong Kong, which was strange, given his Group wins in Chile were on the grass.

“The race on Saturday looks ideal and, while he gives weight to the other runners, he is the class horse, so 58.5kg should not be too much of a worry.

“His recent trial was very good too, so he’s cherry-ripe in my opinion.”

Like all Polytrack races on the mile, tactics will come into play.

“Given how he raced when he won in Hong Kong (led throughout at all three wins), (jockey) Danny (Beasley) will probably have him on the speed,” said Le Grange.

Will that be enough to see him score a breakthrough win? We shall see.

Looking further ahead, Le Grange hopes the horse can show his best in the last two Group 1 races of the year – the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (1,800m) on Oct 15 and the Singapore Gold Cup (2,000m) on Nov 19.

That, we wait to see. 

For now though, let us focus on the “coming attraction” which is Race 10 on Saturday. You do not want to miss it.