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A title defence in the Singapore Airlines International Cup figures prominently on the wish-list of this year’s winner, Chinchon, but his trainer Carlos Laffon-Parias said there was still plenty of water to flow under the bridge from Sunday’s HK$15 million Longines Hong Kong Vase (2400m) until May.
Photo by Singapore Turf Club
The Hispano-French trainer said he would love to get another invitation from the Singapore Turf Club for the Group 1 race over 2000m at Kranji, but he is for the moment adopting a step-by-step approach for the seven-year-old Marju entire before making any further decisions.
With the lightly-raced galloper (only 28 starts for seven wins including two at Group 1 level) having started only once (distant fifth in the Group 2 Prix du Conseil de Paris in October) since his SIA Cup triumph before being sent to Hong Kong, connections are understandably not getting ahead of themselves.
Depending on how he goes in the Vase, Chinchon may then be aimed next year at the Dubai World Cup meeting in March or the Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup (third attempt) in Hong Kong in April. Only then will Laffon-Parias have a better gauge if he can press on with another tilt in Singapore.
“We will see how he pulls up after the Vase. I am thinking of running him in Dubai and then maybe the QEII Cup,” said Laffon-Parias.
"Then of course, why not go back to Singapore. It’s quite a logical follow-up to this campaign I would imagine, but there is still a long way to go.
“For now, I am concentrating on the Hong Kong Vase. I’ve just kept him ticking over since he got here.
“He travelled well to Hong Kong, lost some weight, but has put it all back on and is currently close to his normal racing weight of 508kgs. He is eating and drinking well and he is clean-winded.
“He’s a bit fresh, though, as he’s run only once since Singapore, but I would say this is the right race for him as a lot of the other horses are coming off a long and hard campaign.”
Laffon-Parias said that such a long time between runs was not planned, as the original intention was to run Chinchon in a Group race on Arc day, but a foot injury set him back.
“He was supposed to run on Arc day, but he lost a shoe and stepped on a nail. He was lame and I had no other choice but to pull him out,” he said.
“That has definitely affected him and his preparation, but he seems to be in good shape.
“Besides, he is always happy when he comes here. He knows the track well – though he has never won here - and always does what we ask him to do.
“It’s funny because generally he prefers left-handed tracks, but for some reason he doesn’t seem to mind this right-handed way of going at Sha Tin.”
Chinchon worked on the Sha Tin turf track with race-jockey and SIA Cup-winning partner Olivier Doleuze on Wednesday, pleasing his connections no end.
“He did a very nice piece of work. He accelerated nicely in the last 400m and had a lovely action,” said the Hong Kong-based French jockey.
“He was very calm when I pulled him up. He would not blow a candle.
“Fingers crossed for Sunday. He likes a bit of cut in the ground, but he doesn’t like it too muddy either.”
Should Chinchon, who is considered an outsider against the more talked-about internationals like Dunaden, Sea Moon or Red Cadeaux, win, it would top a 2012 season that has already been an absolute annus mirabilis for Laffon-Parias. After winning the SIA Cup, he then went on to secure his biggest victory – his country’s most famous race, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with Solemia last October.
Of course, that dream year was also tampered by the demise of his father last May, a most untimely event which happened while he was in Singapore to oversee Chinchon’s preparation. He then flew back to France to attend the funeral, leaving the task to his wife Patricia – and the rest is history.
“Unfortunately I was not able to see Chinchon win in Singapore because my dad passed away then. But I knew I had left the job in good hands with Patricia,” said Laffon-Parias.
"Still, it’s been a dream year for me. Win the SIA Cup and then the Arc - I’m still on cloud nine.
“I think I can still afford to dream – it would be even better if I could make it a winning double in both races!”