CONNECTIONS are delighted with the way that Cannonball, the first USA-trained horse to compete in Australia, is progressing in quarantine at Victoria’s Sandown Racecourse.
Travelling foreman Declan Murphy said the star USA sprinter has settled in beautifully since arriving in Australia on 29 December for a tilt at the Global Sprint Challenge.
“Everything’s going really well, so we’re very pleased with his progress,” Murphy said. “He’s settled in much better than Hong Kong where he gained a temperature.”“He’s taken to Sandown very well and has enjoyed galloping on the turf. He’s been out each day and had a strong gallop in 48.2 (over 800 metres) last Sunday.”
Cannonball will have another strong gallop over the weekend before leaving quarantine on Tuesday bound for Flemington.
“He’ll be stabled with David Hayes under my care,” Murphy explained. “We’re very fortunate to be able to call upon the support and guidance of David who is a good friend of mine.”
“Being the first horse out here means it’s a learning curve for us all, but he’s a quality sprinter and we’re excited about what lies ahead.”
Trained by Wesley Ward for owner Ken Ramsey, Cannonball is in Australia to compete during the Melbourne Festival of Racing (30 January – 14 March).
His primary target will be the opening leg of the 2010 Global Sprint Challenge, the $500,000 Coolmore Lightning Stakes (1000m), at Flemington on 30 January.
“We understand it’s a hot race and you need a good horse to win, so we’re hoping our preparation continues without any hitches,” Murphy said.
“Wesley has done a great job with this horse and his performance at Ascot was fantastic, so we’ll be looking for him to reproduce a performance like that.”
The gelding was runner-up in the Group 1 Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot, UK last June before finishing third in the Breeders Cup Turf Sprint in his homeland in November.
He raced below his best in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Sprint at his most recent start when a minor hoof complaint may have hampered his performance.
Australian stars All Silent, Apache Cat and Racing To Win have been in quarantine with Cannonball since returning from the Hong Kong international meeting in December.
All Silent, whose plans remain unconfirmed, but is likely to compete during the Melbourne Festival of Racing, has been in training alongside Cannonball.
On the other hand, the recently retired Apache Cat and Sydney star Racing To Win are both nursing major injuries and have remained confined to their yards.
BACKGROUND TO GLOBAL SPRINT CHALLENGE
THE Global Sprint Challenge is a collection of the world’s elite sprint races. It takes in eight races across four jurisdictions – Australia, United Kingdom, Japan and Hong Kong.
Australia’s two legs of the 2010 Challenge will both be held at Flemington – the $500,000 Coolmore Lightning Stakes (1000m) on 30 January and the $500,000 Patinack Farm Classic (1200m) on 6 November.
A bonus of $US1million is on offer for the connections of any horse that can win Group 1 Challenge races in three different countries in 2010.
RACING VICTORIA MEDIA RELEASE
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