Australia's much-hyped challenge at Hong Kong's International meeting ended in tatters at Sha Tin on Sunday night.
Australian Horse Of The Year Scenic Blast suffered a bleeding attack after he finished last in the International Sprint (1200m) won by local superstar Sacred Kingdom.
"Sadly, he bled, and looks like he
bled quite badly," jockey Steven Arnold said of Scenic Blast.
Australia's other two sprint entrants, Apache Cat and All Silent, finished seventh and eighth respectively, with the former prompting injury concerns.
Jockey Damien Oliver was worried Apache Cat was lame after the race.
"He's just a bit sore in one leg and I didn't feel it until after the line but I just wanted to make sure he was okay," Oliver said. "I don't think it is anything life-threatening and I don't think it really affected him in the run."
All Silent went back to last from the outside barrier and then found trouble getting clear running in the straight.
"He really got a check just after jumping and then when he was trying to get his run in the straight he got a chequered passage again," trainer Grahame Begg said.
"It hasn't been a great day for Australia with the other two pulling up with problems, but mine is fine."
Racing To Win beat just one horse home in the International Mile after travelling wide throughout.
Like the Sprint, the Mile was a triumph for Hong Kong with Good Ba Ba claiming a third consecutive win when he came with a late run to beat Happy Zero.
While the locals dominated the shorter races, the Vase and the Cup were triumphs for France.
The vase (2400m) heralded the arrival of a new star in the filly Daryakana, while the cup cemented the reputation of Vision D'Etat.
Having just her fifth start, Daryakana maintained her unbeaten status with victory over a field of seasoned campaigners.
Trained by Alain de Royer-Dupre for the Aga Khan, Daryakana was ridden by Gerald Mosse to victory over Spanish Moon.
The Eric Libaud-trained Vision D'Etat was only cleared to start on race morning after he was found to have swelling to a fetlock.
He showed no signs of any problem when Olivier Peslier brought him down the outside to get the better of Collection and Presvis.
- AAP
