Racing NewsThe world's highest-rated racehorse Dylan Thomas is as low as 5 to 4 favourite to bring a vintage year to a successful end in Sunday morning's Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Vase at Sha Tin racetrack.
Aidan O'Brien's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner will be having his 10th start of 2007 when he lines up against a maximum of 12 opponents in the $1.8-million mile-and-a-half contest which is one of four Grade One contests at Hong Kong's international festival.
Along with O'Brien's other runner, the St James's Palace Stakes winner Excellent Art, currently a 7 to 2 joint favourite with the French filly Darjina for the Mile, and Noel Meade's Arch Rebel who also runs in the Vase, Dylan Thomas heads a small but select Irish team at a meeting worth almost $8 million in total.
Dylan Thomas, also successful this year in the Prix Ganay, the King George and the Irish Champion Stakes, before a lack-lustre effort in the Breeders' Cup, was denied a run in the Japan Cup due to a medication mix-up and only embarked on the 11-hour journey south to Hong Kong as a last resort.
However, there is now huge anticipation in the former colony about the appearance of the best horse ever to race in Hong Kong.
"He is the highest rated ever to run here and I'm sure the connections wouldn't run him if he wasn't able to do himself justice," said Hong Kong's handicap chief, Nigel Gray, yesterday.
"If he's in the same form as he was in the King George when he ran to 128 he will be very hard to beat. It would be wonderful to see him go out on a winning note."
Dylan Thomas is due to start a stallion career at Coolmore Stud in the spring but ahead of O'Brien's arrival, the horse is impressing the team already at Sha Tin. After a morning workout yesterday, O'Brien's travelling head man, Pat Keating, was in positive form.
"He's thriving in this good weather and seems in good order. We kept him ticking over in Japan as well as we could and I've been very happy with him since he's been here," he said.
"This track will suit him much better than Monmouth Park where he was never travelling on the very soft ground. It's been a long season but he seems to be holding his form. He's a tough horse. You only have to look at his record for proof of that," Keating added.
On official ratings, Dylan Thomas is well ahead of his nearest rivals, Red Rocks and the German runner Quijano, while another familiar European name will be the French runner Doctor Dino who won a Grade One prize, the Man O'War Stakes at Belmont Park, in the autumn.
Johnny Murtagh will be on board both Dylan Thomas and Excellent Art while Fran Berry travels for the ride on Arch Rebel. Another Irish jockey in action on Sunday will be Michael Kinane whose rides will include the local hope Viva Pataca in the seven-runner Hong Kong Cup over 10 furlongs.
Kinane has already won three Group One prizes on the John Moore trained horse, whose rivals will include Godolphin's star miler Ramonti.
A trio of Irish entries - Mansony, Schindlers Hunt and Gemini Lucy - remain in Saturday's Paddy Power Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown.
The current champion hurdler Sublimity is due to have his first start since landing the crown at Cheltenham when he returns to Prestbury Park for Saturday week's Boylesports International.
"We're going to take him to the Curragh schooling grounds on Tuesday and then he'll do a mile on the Old Vic," reported his trainer, John Carr, yesterday.
"I see that Macs Joy and Katchit are going for the Bula (Boylesports) as well but we have to start him off somewhere," he added. "He seems to be doing everything well but he is carrying a lot of weight. It's hard for me to assess him as we've nothing classy enough to work with him here."
Jessica Harrington confirmed the Cheltenham plan for Macs Joy after taking him out of Sunday's Hatton's Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse due to the heavy ground.
"I was looking forward to running him at two and a half miles but the ground got very heavy and it wouldn't have been fair to run him. We will look forward to Cheltenham instead," Harrington said.
