Eastern Express on trial for Hong Kong International meeting
FOUR-year-old gelding Eastern Express will line up in Sunday’s The Sa Sa Ladies 3YO Handicap at Sha Tin on its way to a possible Group one start in December.
Trainer John Size is hoping to get Eastern Express into an International Race with it next month and a good run at Sha Tin could get it into one of the prized fields.
“I’d like to run in an International Race with him, that’s why, even though he’s so far out of the handicap in this race, I’ll run him anyway, because if he can run well I might be able to get a run in an International Race,” Size said.
The son of Fastnet Rock isn’t suited by the weights, but it has great form in top quality races earlier in the year which should hold up at this level. It finished third in the Group 1 Hong Kong Classic Cup in February before battling for ninth in the Hong Kong Derby, but Size believes it has improved since that effort.
“I think he’s made obvious improvement, strength-wise,” Size said. “He’s a June foal, which put him nearly six months behind his contemporaries, so with the onset of more maturity he does look stronger and hopefully he can take that to the races.”
Eastern Express finished second last time out behind race-rival Anticaption and improvement is now expected by Size.
“I thought that run was good,” Size said. “He probably should improve in condition for that – first-up at 1800m might have tested his fitness and stamina on that day. I think he should be better prepared for this second run. It’s a big drop in weight, I think he’ll get a nice run and he should run well.”
The gelding will be partnered by Joao Moreira who returned to Hong Kong following his second placing in the Melbourne Cup. The champion jockey thinks his runner is a winning chance on Sunday.
“He was probably in need of that last run to bring himself to his best,” Moreira said.
“In terms of his rating, I think there’s plenty left in him, distance-wise, I think the 1800m will suit him perfectly. Last season he ran well in races like the Classic Cup, when he finished just a neck behind the winner, which is obviously a very good horse. If he brings that kind of form again, he’ll be a winning chance.”