TOAST

Vision D’Etat showed a blistering turn of foot to beat a top class field in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Vision D’Etat was giving his French trainer, Eric Libaud, a second Hong Kong International Races victory following his success in the 2002 Hong Kong Vase with Ange Gabriel.

Dramatically, however, there had been a scare over the four-year-old’s participation just a day earlier.

A skin infection after he bumped himself in his box had left him slightly lame on Saturday, but Libaud knew his horse was back to his best when he saw him out on the all-weather this morning.

That was confirmed when the horses turned into the straight and Peslier was looking confident. They moved up menacingly to challenge and swept past the local odds-on favourite Collection.

Peslier was winning a record seventh international victory, one more than his fellow countryman, Gerald Mosse, who had scored earlier in the day on Daryakana in the CXHK Vase.

Peslier said: “It is always a good sign when this horse is lazy during his races as he was today. He was similar when winning at Royal Ascot. I didn’t want to get to the lead too soon because I was worried he might try and stop in front. He kept fighting today.”

Libaud said: “As for our next race, he will stay in training and we’ll have to think about Dubai next.”        

An amazed Darren Beadman, rider of the odds-on Collection, said: “Gosh, the winner was impressive. He came past me with his ears pricked but we have run right up to our best.”

Connections of Presvis were not downcast in third. Both trainer Luca Cumani and jockey Kieren Fallon agreed that their Dubai-bound son of Sakhee would come on for the run.

“He’s not there yet,” said Fallon, while Cumani added: “He has needed this and will be better for it. We’ll head to Dubai and decide which race to go for after the trials on the sand and grass.”

Given a super confident ride by Olivier Doleuze, Good Ba Ba produced his trademark finishing kick to run down Happy Zero, the young pretender to his crown, gaining a half length success with Fellowship back in third, and Egyptian Ra in fourth for a Hong Kong clean sweep.

Olivier Doleuze won on Good Ba Ba in 2007, while Christophe Soumillon was on board last year, before Doleuze regained the ride this time around.

Turning for home Darren Beadman sent Happy Zero for home and opened a lead that looked for a moment to be decisive as Fellowship and Zac Purton gave chase, while   the front running Egyptian Ra battled on gamely under Felix Coetzee.

But the roar of the Hong Kong crowd reached deafening proportions as Doleuze unleashed Good Ba Ba to cut down his rivals on the outside and gallop into Hong Kong history.

“Last year I was sorry to lose the ride so to be back on him again is like a dream. His preparation this season was similar to last year when Andreas [Schutz] trained him,” Doleuze said.

“It looks like he might stay a bit longer now, now we can step him up in trip to maybe 2000m because it took him a little longer than normal to really get going from the top of the straight. I believed he could get there though. What a horse.”

Trainer Derek Cruz trainer described the victory as the highlight of his career, “Without a doubt – it’s awesome.”

Cruz took over the training of Good Ba Ba before the start of the season at the behest of owner John Yuen Se-kit and opted to prep the seven-year-old graduate of the Hong Kong International Sale along the same route of the last two seasons.

“My job was to keep him happy. But the fact that he would make history if he won this race did make it harder and created pressure for me. But we’ve done it and it feels awesome.”

The filly, owned by His Highness the Aga Khan, provided trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre with his second CXHKIR success following his win in the 2006 CXHK Cup with the mare Pride.

“It seems like I can only win with the fillies. For a three-year-old she travelled very well and when I saw her early in the week, I thought she was perfect. When she won her Group 2 at Longchamp I started to think of this race here. She will stay in training as a four-year-old,” de Royer-Dupre said.

Winning jockey Gerald Mosse, who picked up the ride after Christophe Lemaire’s Japan Cup suspension, now boasts six winners at this meeting and he timed his run to perfection after Daryakana was last approaching the home turn. Mosse’s tally of wins is only matched by Olivier Peslier.

“I had a lot of horse under me and the pace was ok so I was happy to sit at the back. I knew she had a great turn of foot and I was always happy in the straight that I would get there. I feel a bit sad for my friend (Lemaire) but that happens in racing. This filly has a heart bigger than herself. She’s among the best I’ve ridden,’ Mosse said.

Daryakana, the least experienced runner in the race, remains unbeaten after five starts and continued the dominance of European trained horses in the race.

Saddled by Humberto Ascansio, who took over the stable of Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel when he died of cancer last month, Mast Track and jockey Rafael Bejarano went straight to the front of the field of five older horses.

He was challenged for the lead early but kicked away for a comfortable victory, beating High Court Drama by 1 1/2 lengths and covering 1 1-8 miles in 1:50.53. The winner paid $8.20, $4.80 and $2.60. High Court Drama returned $5.40 and $2.80, and favorite Neko Bay paid $2.10 to show.

Mast Track gave Frankel his third victory in the Hollywood Gold Cup last year, but had been winless in nine starts since.

The 5-year-old son of Mizzen Mast, owned by Frank Stronach, has won six times in 20 starts, earning $60,000 for the victory and pushing his career total to $922,822.

“It’s going to be very, very, very difficult to beat; he’s got a pretty significant case,” according to Michael Iavarone, co-president of IEAH Stables, which heads a large group that owns Kip Deville. “One foot is worse than the other. The left side seems to be much worse, it’s rotated fully. They cut his tendons to release some of the pressure. We’re going to continue to do what we can within reason and humanity and hope he pulls through it. They told us he’s 20-80 to survive.”