Triple Group 1 winner Criterion (NZ) (Sebring {Aus}), who has raced in Australia, Hong Kong and Britain this year, is set to continue his globetrotting campaign, with a trip to Hong Kong for the G1 Hong Kong Cup Dec. 13 in order followed by a possible date in Japan, according to published reports. The 4-year-old, who scored his most important win in Randwick's G1 Queen Elizabeth S. in April, was third in last week's G1 Melbourne Cup, and will look to build on his third in last year's Hong Kong Cup. He will prep for the trip with an exhibition gallop at Moonee Valley.
“He unfortunately had a very easy run in the [Melbourne] Cup,” co-trainer David Hayes told Racing Post. “We'll potter around with him and give him an exhibition gallop at the Valley.
I think he'll work well and we'll be sending him, just as we did last year.”
If Criterion performs in Hong Kong, the Sir Owen Glenn colorbearer could head to Japan for the G1 Arima Kinen Dec. 27.
“He doesn't surprise me anymore as I know what he can do,” Hayes told the trade daily. “He has nice breaks between runs and the Melbourne Cup to Hong Kong is six weeks, and he thrives on that. If he ran well in Hong Kong, Sir Owen Glenn is keen for him to go to Japan, and he did beat the Japanese horses quite easily in the Melbourne Cup.”
Criterion could be joined in Hong Kong by fellow Aussie Chautauqua (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}), who would target the G1 Hong Kong Sprint, but co-trainer Wayne Hawkes told Racing.com that decision is not yet final, with the Hawkes training team thinking longterm for the 5-year-old gelding.
“At the moment we're still going ahead, but we only need one small thing to pull the plug,” Hawkes told the site. “ It's [a] bigger call and a whole different ball game going to Hong Kong, because you struggle to have a spell when you get back. If you make somewhere like the [G1] TJ Smith [S. in Sydney in April] again, you're only just getting there in the nick of time. It's easy going across to Flemington and Moonee Valley and Sydney. He's got to travel and acclimatize and get on a plane, which he's never done.”
French Group 1-winning mare Esoterique (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), seventh in GI Breeders' Cup Mile Oct. 31, is set to take in the G1 Hong Kong Mile Dec. 13 and will stay in training next year, owner Baron Edouard de Rothschild told Racing Post.
“She will run in Hong Kong next month and, all being well, she will stay in training next year,” he said. “She has been a fantastic mare for us.”
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