International recruitment for Spring Carnival heads to Asia

Racing Victoria’s (RV) international recruitment campaign for the 2011 Spring Racing Carnival gathers further momentum this week when RV’s recruiter Leigh Jordon heads to Asia on Sunday.

Jordon, who began discussions with European trainers at the recent Dubai World Cup meeting, will speak with leading trainers and owners in Japan before heading to Singapore for their prized international race meeting on Sunday week, 22 May.

Among Jordon’s destinations in Japan will be the Miho Training Centre where a meeting will be held with Japanese officials regarding quarantine facilities.

“Japanese distance horses are still considered to be the best in the world and with the door reopened for travel to Australia last year we are keen to again build upon Japanese interest in our premier racing carnival,” Jordon explained.

“As well as visiting Miho, I’ll also be travelling to Ritto Training Centre and to Hokkaido to speak with the Yoshida Family, who quinellaed the Emirates Melbourne Cup in 2006 with Delta Blues and Pop Rock, about their team of horses.”

Japan’s equivalent of the Melbourne Cup, the Group 1 Spring Tenno Sho (3200m), was run earlier this month and a number of key runners are in Jordon’s sights.

“The first four horses in the Tenno Sho, Hiruno d’Armour, Eishin Flash, Namura Crescent and Makani Bisty, are all key targets for us so I’ll be meeting with their connections whilst in Japan,” he said.

“The connections of the third placed Namura Crescent, which is trained by Nobuharu Fukushima and won the Group 2 Daishoten (3000m) en route to the Tenno Sho, have already expressed an interest in our features, as have those of the fourth placed Makani Bisty who is trained by Yoshito Yahagi.”

Jordon noted that the track was rain affected for the 1 May feature and that some of the more fancied runners performed below expectations, but remain of considerable interest.

“Pelusa, who ran second in last year’s Autumn Tenno Sho, Japan Cup winner Rose Kingdom and multiple Group race winner To The Glory, are all outstanding horses and I think they’d be just as suited to the Tatts Cox Plate as they would a Melbourne Cup. They are key targets also,” he said.

After Japan, Jordon’s focus will shift to the Singapore international meeting which features the Group 1 KrisFlyer International Sprint (1200m) – a new addition to the Global Sprint Challenge – and the Group 1 Singapore Airlines International Cup (2000m).

“Both races continue to grow in stature on the world stage and the Cup will be a pivotal race for the Tatts Cox Plate with the first four placegetters in the recent Dubai Duty Free renewing acquaintances in a race run under the same conditions as the Cox Plate,” Jordon explained.

“The Moonee Valley Racing Club’s financial incentives mean the Cox Plate has never been more attractive for international horses than this year and some of the key targets in Singapore will be River Jetez (Mike de Kock), Wigmore Hall (Michael Bell) and Gitano Hernando (Herman Brown).

“The Hong Kong gallopers California Memory (Tony Cruz) and Irian (John Moore), who recently finished second and fourth behind Ambitious Dragon in the QEII Cup at Sha Tin, are also of considerable interest, plus we haven’t given up all hope of getting Presvis (Luca Cumani) down here.”

The meeting at Kranji Racecourse will also provide Jordon with an opportunity to catch up with premier Hong Kong trainer John Moore who has already expressed a desire to nominate his exciting galloper Xtension – a winner of the Group 1 Champions Mile (1600m) last month – for the Cox Plate.

Another key target for Jordon will be Singapore’s sprint sensation Rocket Man who is a commanding favourite to win his maiden KrisFlyer International after finishing second in recent years to Hong Kong pair Sacred Kingdom and Green Birdie who will both chase a second title.

“I’ve already had discussions with Rocket Man’s trainer Patrick Shaw about travelling to Australia to compete in the Patinack Farm Stakes (1200m) on Emirates Stakes Day at Flemington and I will again after the race on Sunday week,” Jordon explained.

“Patrick hasn’t ruled out a start in the race, which is a leg of the Global Sprint Challenge, and I’ll be encouraging him to come to Melbourne for what would be an amazing showdown with Black Caviar.”

In other international news, last year’s BMW Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup runner, the Luca Cumani-trained Manighar, is poised to make his return to racing this Friday night (11.30pm AET) in the Group 2 Yorkshire Cup (2800m) at York.

The Australian-owned former French stayer is being set for another tilt at the Cups with Cumani eager to claim his first Melbourne Cup after back-to-back seconds in 2007-08.

Other spring targets competing in the Yorkshire Cup are the in-form Askau Tau, Free Agent – which is owned by the Queen, the Henry Cecil-trained Native Ruler and the John Gosden-trained Duncan.

Racing Victoria