Falbrav favourite for victorious farewell

Falbrav is a hot favourite with the British bookmakers to crown a fantastic career with victory in the Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin.

William Hill go 11-8 about Luca Cumani’s imposing entire, while Coral are slightly longer at 6-4.

Falbrav, who retires to stud in Japan after Sunday’s race, has earned his prominent position in the betting for the showpiece event of the International Meeting having won four of the nine Group or Grade One races he has competed in this season.

Cumani has been happy with the horse’s condition since he arrived in the former colony.

He said: “All the signs have been as good with Falbrav as for any race this year.

“His weight is perfect, he loves the track and I couldn’t be happier.”

Big-race jockey Frankie Dettori, fully fit again after twisting his ankle at Happy Valley on Wednesday, partnered Falbrav in a spin at Sha Tin racecourse this morning.

After the piece of exercise, he said: “I twisted my ankle on Wednesday night. Here they are very good and for a precaution they took an X-ray, but I knew it was all right. That’s why I rode this morning, just to see how it was.

“I don’t think I’ll be doing a flying dismount if I win – I’ll just be happy to win.”

The last time the Italian rode Falbrav in public was when they teamed up to land last year’s Japan Cup and he is hoping for a bold show from the five-year-old on Sunday.

Dettori said: “The horse is great – fantastic. He’s one of the biggest horses I’ve ridden in my life. He weighs 550kilos, but he moves over the ground like a gazelle.

“He’s the highest rated horse in the race. His form is second to none and if he gets a good clean race he should be thereabouts.

“I rode him in the Japan Cup last year and it’s always very hard to win out there.

“He’s very powerful, very strong and just a wonderful racehorse.

“He’s proved his form in England and throughout the world. This is his last race and it would be nice to finish it off on a good note.

“Horses like him don’t come along very often, especially from Italy.”

Dettori nominated the other British challenger Rakti, another ex-Italian, as his main rival in the 10-furlong Group One contest.

He said: “It’s never a two-horse race but I would fear Rakti a lot and there’s the Japanese horse (Eishin Preston), who has won here three times, and you can’t leave him out of the equation.”

Irish ace Michael Kinane has twice lowered the colours of Falbrav on High Chaparral this season and he will be out to do it again on Sunday when he attempts to repeat last year’s win on the locally-trained Precision.

“You need a very good horse to beat Falbrav, and High Chaparral was an exceptionally good colt and probably didn’t get the credit he deserved, because it takes an exceptional horse to beat Falbrav,” Kinane said.

“I think Falbrav will have to run below par if we are to beat him.

“Rakti is probably his biggest opponent because he’s a fresh horse, providing he doesn’t play up here in front of the stands, because he has problems with the stalls and it’s a noisy start.

“But Falbrav is going to be very hard to beat.”

Kinane and High Chaparral beat Falbrav by a neck in the Irish Champion Stakes and had Cumani’s charge a head behind them when dead-heating with Johar for first place in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

Kinane added: “It was nailbiting stuff and there was very little between the two horses, and it just went right for me.”

Assessing the chances of Precision, who is 25-1 with Coral, Kinane said: “My horse is very capable. He’s on his home ground and when he puts up his best performance he’s a good horse and can quicken, but it’s going to be difficult for him.

“I’ve sat on him twice this week and he feels good. He feels like he did this time last year, but it’s a tougher race.

“But like anything, you never know. Last year’s race was run a bit funny and they just played into my hands.

“He’s a genuine horse and he finishes good. He won the Queen Mother here late in the year and just absolutely blitzed them.”

Rakti refused to go into the stalls for last year’s Champion Stakes at Newmarket and once again gave trouble at the start before winning at the Capannelle in May.

Steve ‘Yarmy’ Dyble has spent a lot of time sorting Rakti out, but the Hong Kong officials will not allow him to attend the horse at the start before the Cup, a decision which trainer Michael Jarvis described as “disappointing”.

Rakti was not in action on the track today and will complete his big-race preparation with a canter tomorrow.

The British challengers in the Hong Kong Sprint face a tough task, with local hope Silent Witness likely to go off a hot favourite.

Deportivo looks to have recovered from his gruelling journey to Hong Kong judged on the enthusiasm he showed in his work today.

However, his trainer Roger Charlton believes his runner has a lot to do.

He said: “I think he has a good chance of finishing in the money, but he would need to produce a career-best performance if he is to win.”

Champion apprentice Ryan Moore, 20, gets the leg up on Milton Bradley’s The Tatling in the five-furlong dash.

“The horse is good and I am pleased to give young Ryan the chance to ride in such a big race,” Bradley said.

The Trader, fifth in the Sprint in 2001, completed a three-quarter-paced gallop on the all-weather surface, after which trainer Michael Blanshard said: “He is never an impressive worker, but he is very well.

“My only concern is his draw in stall 13 as he needs cover in the race. He has to come through horses.”

Mick Channon believes the 12 furlongs of the Vase may be stretching the stamina of his challenger Imperial Dancer.

He said: “Although he won the St Simon Stakes over a mile and a half I am a little worried about his getting the distance in a truly-run Group One race.

“Ideally I would like to see them slow the pace down a bit at some stage.

“However, he is in great shape and I am very pleased with the way he is going. He always carries his head a bit high, so don’t be misled into believing he is not giving his best.”