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發表於 2007-6-1 14:53:32
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Schutz fumes as track rider loses the plot
SCMP
Hong Kong’s Good Ba Ba, Able One and The Duke appear in perky mood ahead at a trackwork session in Tokyo yesterday in preparation for the Yasuda Kinen on Sunday. Photo: Kenneth Chan
Andreas Schutz has to make an emergency revision of his training plans for Good Ba Ba after the gelding's final gallop prior to Sunday's Yasuda Kinen became a debacle yesterday.
Track rider Sammy Hui Sin-yue either misunderstood the trainer's instructions or took matters into his own hands, but the bottom line was the same - Good Ba Ba had a leisurely stroll around Tokyo racecourse instead of a sharp 800m gallop.
"Let him go, let him run along," Schutz was saying out loud, as if the rider could hear him, after Good Ba Ba passed the 1,000 metres mark but the five-year-old stayed well and truly on the bridle and never came off it. Although Good Ba Ba was not timed, he appeared to run his last 400 metres in about 28 seconds rather than sub-24 as Schutz had wanted.
The perfectionist in Schutz was clearly ruffled that the classy galloper was not worked in accordance with his wishes, and Hui's defence that the gelding was "very relaxed" did little to settle the trainer down.
"He might have been very relaxed but that's not going to win us any money on Sunday," the trainer snapped.
Some time later, Schutz explained that while he is delighted with Good Ba Ba's general condition and well-being, he wanted the gelding to have a strong half-mile gallop to clean up his wind before Japan's premier mile race on Sunday.
"He's ultimately gone about six seconds slower than I wanted," Schutz said. "Now it looks as though I'll have to gallop him again [today]. He won't need to do as much, but what he's done today was definitely not enough."
The former champion trainer of Germany may have been seething inside but he remained outwardly cool as he fielded questions from the gaggle of Japanese journalists, photographers and cameramen who turned up for his press conference.
"I remember on my second visit here for the Japan Cup, with a horse called Caitano, [Sir] Michael Stoute's horse Pilsudski had his final gallop mucked up in a similar way," Schutz recalled. "They didn't panic, they just gave the horse a bit more work the following day and he came out on Sunday and won. So I'm not really worried, it's just that when you're setting a horse for a big race like this you like everything to go right."
Schutz was quick to deny suggestions the Yasuda Kinen was an afterthought in Good Ba Ba's preparation.
"I took over the horse in November and gave him a short break, and he had his first run for me in February, in a Class One race," Schutz said. "He won that race so well, against a good-class field, and straight away I planned out the rest of his campaign that included the Champions Mile and the Yasuda Kinen. So he's very much been set for the race."
Barriers will be drawn for the race this morning.
"He can race forward, or he can race back, he's won off strong pace or slow pace," Schutz said. "There look to be a few horses in the race with good early speed and this track is so big and roomy, the draw will not be as important as it would have been in Hong Kong."
希望呢個唔會係輸馬原因 |
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狗仔卡
發表於 2007-5-31 23:18:12
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