Trainer Chris So Wai-yin and jockey Andrea Atzeni are full of hope as Top Dragon goes “the right distance” on his return in the Grade Two Hong Kong Reunion Cup (1,400m) at Sha Tin on Wednesday.
The Pierata winner ran two legs of the Classic Series earlier this campaign, finishing fifth in the Standard Mile and after finishing second in Grade Two company at the start, ran a gallant seventh in the Hong Kong Derby (2,000m).
He has been out since the Derby in March, but that was by design rather than any failure, and he has tested well since then.
So he relishes the chance to bring him back to what he describes as his “best distance” as Atzeni takes over for the third time.
“Everything is normal. I spoke to the owner and even before the Derby, we talked about giving him a little break. We have him back now and everything is normal – first start back to 1,400m, which is his good distance, so let’s see,” So said.
“All three tests were good – I was happy after the tests and everything was normal, he looks good. So far, he is healthy and I hope to rest him after the Derby, he can run a good race.
“The 1,200m is a bit short and because he is rested, the 1,600m is too far. So, we made the decision to put him in the 1,400m. I think the 1,400m is the best distance for him when he comes back.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Atzeni, who was impressed with his Derby performance and will be looking to break the four-year-old’s duck.
“I thought it was a good run in the Derby – he had a good trip from the kind gate but he didn’t quite get the 2,000m. He’s had a break, he’s been strengthened and had a few trials. He’s in good shape,” Atzeni said.
Atzeni scored twice at Sha Tin last Saturday to move to 60 winners, surpassing his season-best of 58 last season, and has another strong book on Wednesday in his bid to hold off Hugh Bowman for second place in the jockeys’ premiership.
Flow Water Flow missed John Size’s four-year streak, but he is a good rider and Atzeni hopes to join him in the Grade Three Sports Handicap (1,600m).
Second in his first three starts, the son of Proisir got things going when he moved up the distance, placing first in the 1,600m and 1,800m handicaps before being sidelined with fever.
Barrier six will give him every chance and although Atzeni believes he may need to run, his class could highlight his return.
“He’s a good horse, he’s been showing promise this season and it looked like he could go on the four-year streak but he had a fever, so we didn’t see him for a while,” Atzeni said.
“He’s had a few trials that were OK, but that’s always hard to judge. His case the other day was OK because he wasn’t going to be a light horse in the morning. He can just run, but he’s ready to go and a mile is probably a good start for him. He’s a good horse so I’m looking forward to it.”
Atzeni will also be joined by Size when he climbs the Beauty Award in the second part of the Grade Four Sustainable Development Disability (1,400m).
An unremarkable $29 slot at first, he beat the odds to come home from the back of the pack to sixth, which didn’t surprise Atzeni despite the big price.
“He’s a lovely horse, we’ve always thought highly of him but we thought he’d probably run a couple of times. I thought he ran a good race the first time, better than expected but I wasn’t surprised because we knew there was something there,” Atzeni said.
“Hopefully he can improve from that and run a big race.”
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