Meanwhile, In Hong Kong…

Sunday is the big day for Miss Andretti (pictured) as she prepares for the Hong Kong Sprint International, and she is the focus of much newsprint around the world as a result. Her most serious competition is local star Sacred Kingdom and word is that the track will be good.

There is an interesting aside that among the many drugs not allowed in Hong Kong racing is Regumate, a drug that’s used to control when mares come into heat. When they say drug free in Hong Kong, they mean drug free there.

There is an equally-interesting article on her owner, Sean Buckley (who co-owns her with Gabriela Guenzi). He’s turned down as much as $10 million for Miss Andretti – not bad for what was reputed to be a $450,000 investment on what looked like a good, but not great racehorse – upon switching to the barn of trainer Lee Freedman, she’s become a monster. Apparently Coolmore has suggested a freebie with Storm Cat (on southern hemisphere time, of course) and a start in the Breeders’ Cup, but if all goes to plan, the six-year-old mare will be running for at least another year, making stops all over the world (and she could end up booked to Redoute’s Choice anyway, which would be my preference between the two).

Dylan Thomas is also prepping for a race in Hong Kong on Sunday – the Hong Kong Vase. It’s something of a replacement for the Japan Cup which kept him out of the field due to some borderline blood test results (health-related, not drug-related). Also on the card is the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile, which features Breeders’ Cup second-place finisher Excellent Art and three-year-old filly Darjina, who is the likely favorite.

Who says it’s slow this time of year?