Horse racing: El Vencedor bounces back in Hong Kong

El Vencedor was over his hoof issue and striding out at Sha Tin on Tuesday. Photo / HKJC.

It took El Vencedor just a few minutes yesterday to allay any fears he could miss the biggest race of his career.

New Zealand’s Horse of the Year-in-waiting had been under a slight cloud in Hong Kong this week after an abscess burst out of a hind hoof a week out from the HK$28 million ($6m) FWD QEII Cup at Sha Tin this Sunday.

With international horses that race at Hong Kong’s biggest meetings closely monitored, El Vencedor’s every step has been monitored by Hong Kong Jockey Club’s vets, but after concerns on Sunday the big Kiwi galloper was back on the training track on Tuesday.

“He has improved 100% and he cantered around this morning in perfect shape,” Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh said of the horse affectionately known as “EV”.

“I was never that worried, but the horse comes first, and the vets here have been very diligent, which is great.

“But this morning he was spot on, and it is behind us now and we are pressing on to Sunday.”

El Vencedor will fast work at Sha Tin on Thursday morning and be a rare New Zealand-trained runner on Champions Day on Sunday.

New Zealand will also have Kiwi-bred and educated stars Mr Brightside in the Champions Mile and Ka Ying Rising in the Chairman’s Sprint.

Crocetti camp happy

New Zealand representative Crocetti will start from barrier 7 in Saturday’s A$5m ($5.35m) Quokka in Perth.

The Railway winner at Ellerslie in January has drawn inside two-time Quokka champion Overpass (barrier 10) in the 1200m slot race, with co-trainer Danny Walker happy on all fronts after a busy Tuesday morning.

“There is some speed drawn inside us and some outside, but we should be able to get handy enough,” said Walker, who trains Crocetti with Arron Tata.

“We took him to breakfast with the stars, and he galloped well over 1000m on the course proper.

“So everything has gone as well as we could have hoped, and now we just have to hope for some luck on Saturday.”

Crocetti is rated a $21 chance by the TAB and will have Craig Williams in the saddle before the Victorian jockey then flies to Hong Kong on Saturday night to partner Mr Brightside at Sha Tin the next day.

Tip of the sword

One of New Zealand’s most promising stallions could be in for a busy spring after the announcement of stallion fees for Cambridge Stud next season.

The famed stud will stand five stallions next season in an unchanged roster, with Chaldean ($35,000), Almanzor and Hello Youmzain (both $30,000) and Embellish at $5000 all priced to meet the market even after successful seasons in different ways this year.

The only small increase to their stallion fees sees Sword Of State go from $15,000 to $20,000, but in reality that increase could have been significantly higher.

Sword Of State was one of the first season stars of the yearling sales this summer, with his highest priced lot sold for $540,000 and his stock averaging over $200,000 at the major sales.

They were massive returns on a $15,000 service fee, and he looks certain to fill his book next season on those results alone before his first-crop runners start to emerge on the racetrack.an

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.