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    • Australians fail to shoot in Hong Kong
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    Australians fail to shoot in Hong Kong

    Pabio Posted on

    Australian-trained gallopers failed to make an impact at the Hong Kong international races, as Without A Fight, Recommendation and Antino all finished outside the rankings.

    After settling into perfect position in a slow-running Hong Kong vase, Without A Fight did not respond when asked by Mark Zahra for an effort, with Sam Freedman unable to explain the unusually poor performance that was beaten by 16 lengths.

    “He was disappointing today, it’s probably the first time he’s had a race like this,” Freedman said.

    “We can’t put our finger on anything specific, maybe it was turned up a little hotter than we typically would. They didn’t seem to be going too fast and the horse seemed comfortable so I’m not too adamant that that was a real excuse, he was beaten too far for that to be one of the reasons.

    “I don’t know, he just wasn’t there for Mark when he actually asked him to be and he was just working late, he wanted to get a break.

    “We’ll check on him and make sure he does well, but from the looks of it, obviously, we’re very disappointed.”

    Zahra agreed with Freedman’s assessment.

    “It was disappointing,” Zahra said.

    “No one crossed the fence in front of us, so he got close to what I wanted, but he didn’t finish.”

    Zahra was also aboard Recommendation in the Hong Kong Sprint, who was sent off with a $148 chance and beat only two rivals at home.

    “He just struggled to cover the pressure today over 1,200m,” Zahra said.

    Antino finished 11th in the Hong Kong Mile under Blake Shinn. The Queenslander was caught by interference in the final stretch.

    “He ran well,” Shinn said. “He just ran into interference in the 300m when Soul Rush went around him.”

    It wasn’t all bad news for the Australians, as Zac Purton teamed up with Hall Of Fame trainer David Hayes to win the Hong Kong Sprint aboard Ka Ying Rising, while the Sydney-based rider , James McDonald, won both the Hong Kong Mile and Hong Kong Cup.


    Pabio
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