Racing
Mark Newnham 'Wishes' to take on the big guns in the Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup
Trainer Mark Newnham is convinced the time is right to test My Wish over a middle distance again in the Group 1 $HK13 million Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Newnham said he has waited for the right race to push My Wish out in race distance again.
"Sunday is the first real opportunity we have had to get him back out to 2000m since the Derby last year,'' Newnham said.
"I didn't want to take on Romantic Warrior in December in the International Cup so we went to the Mile that day instead (ran sixth to Voyage Bubble).
"But we are up against Romantic Warrior on Sunday and he is a world-class horse so it won't be an easy task.
"Small fields are tactical so it will be an interesting race.
"There will be a time age catches up with Romantic Warrior but it doesn't look to have yet.''
Champion Romantic Warrior is hot favourite to record his 13th Group 1 win in the Citi Hong Kong Cup where he has only five rivals.
My Wish, who will be ridden by Australian Hall of Fame jockey Hugh Bowman, comes out of the Stewards' Cup where he ran fourth to Romantic Warrior a month ago.
"He hasn't been suited at his last couple of runs with race patterns and a couple of different things but he is going well. I'm looking forward to getting him out to 2000m again.''
Newnham and Bowman also combine with the talented Invincible Ibis in the $HK13 million Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m).
Newnham, who is currently third in the Hong Kong trainers premiership with 35 wins and is just two behind leader Caspar Fownes, has three starters in the second leg of the four-year-old classic series with Infinite Resolve and Lucky Sam Gor joining Invincible Iris in the big race.
"This is like the triple crown series in Sydney,'' Newnham said.
"The Classic Cup is the second leg of the series, sort of like the Rosehill Guineas back home, then it culminates with the (Hong Kong) Derby.
"The first leg of the Hong Kong series was the Classic Mile, which is the equivalent of the Randwick Guineas, and I won that race with My Wish last year before he ran second in the next two legs.''
Invincible Ibis was unplaced as favourite in the Classic Mile last start but Newnham maintains he is the pick of his stable's three runners in the Hong Kong Classic Cup.
"Invincible Ibis is best suited by the barriers on Sunday,'' Newnham said.
"He was unplaced in the Classic Mile but he drew wide that day, got pushed wider during the run and still ran on well.
"The winner, Little Paradise, was impressive and will probably start favourite and the other horse that is the unknown factor is Numbers, who raced formerly as King Of Thunder in Australia.
"Numbers has won his last two starts and is proven at the distance.''
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