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Andrea Atzeni piloted Farraaj in a solid work-out at Sha Tin racecourse this morning, Tuesday and reported the gelding to be in fine order ahead of a tilt at the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup (2000m) at the track on Sunday week.
The Italian was happy with the way the British raider stretched out in his first serious work since he touched down in Hong Kong a week ago. Farraaj quickened with purpose down the Sha Tin turf and clearly relished the surface as he went 1200m in 1m 18.2s, winding up through 400m splits of 27.5s, 26.9s and 23.8s.
“He felt very good, he looks good for the time of year and he did a very nice bit of work,” said Atzeni, who is three weeks into a three-month riding contract in Hong Kong.
“He just stretched his legs a little bit. He hasn’t done a lot since his race in Australia and he needed a good bit - he might do something more again next week. He was having a nice blow at the end so I think that’s done him good. He travelled really well there - as soon as I turned in I picked him up all the way to the end and he just kept stretching out. He feels good, he moved well and he loves that quick-ish ground.”
Farraaj heads into the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races on Sunday, 14 December off the back of a career best run to finish third in Australia’s G1 LONGINES Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on 1 November. The Roger Varian-trained five-year-old, third also in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf back in November, 2011, had dropped into handicap grade to regain the winning thread in England this summer. He has since thrived.
“On his day he’s very good,” asserted Atzeni. “He was carrying top-weights in handicaps in the summer and he won around Epsom and at York - it was great that we could still run him in handicaps because the John Smith’s Cup was nearly 100 grand to the winner. That’s massive - you almost have to win a Group 1 to get that money.
“He loves travelling and ran very well in Australia,” he continued. “He was probably a bit unlucky not to win the race at Flemington - he was drawn 14 of 14 and was kept three wide all the way.”
Atzeni has already seen enough of racing around Sha Tin to recognise that a good gate draw can be the key to success.
“The horse is very well, he’s quick out of the gate and if he gets a good draw, which is very important here, he’ll run a big race,” he said. “They say the draw is important at Happy Valley but it can be just as important at Sha Tin, even over 10 furlongs.
“With a better draw he might have won in Australia and the Cup is looking like a very open race this year. He loves the fast ground, that’s what he needs, and he’s one of those horses - he’s won at Epsom, he’s won at York, when he was in Australia he was galloping well on a smaller track; going round here won’t be any problem.
“The quicker they go the better for him. I know there might not be a lot of pace in the race but if we get a good draw and just get in behind the pace then I think we’ll be fine.”