Buffering will jump from towards the outside of the 2014 Hong Kong Sprint field at Sha Tin on Saturday after he was allocated barrier eight at the barrier draw this afternoon.
Buffering will jump from barrier eight when he chases a fifth win at Group 1 level in the 2014 Hong Kong Sprint. Photo by: race Horse Photos Australia
Trainer Robert Heathcote and jockey Damian Browne were both desperately hoping to draw towards the inside of the Hong Kong Sprint field, but can’t feel too hard done by following the barrier draw after a number of other possible front runners drew towards the extreme outside.
Buffering’s participation in the Hong Kong Sprint was thrown into question after he was found with a foot abscess earlier in the week, but the Mossman gelding has bounced back from the issue and he galloped on the course proper at Sha Tin this morning.
Aerovelocity is currently on top of 2014 Hong Kong Sprint betting markets and the talented sprinter will jump from barrier seven when he makes his debut at Group 1 level at Sha Tin this weekend.
The Pins gelding stamped himself as a Hong Kong Sprint contender when he scored a narrow win in the Group 2 The Premier Bowl (1200m) at Sha Tin on October 26, but had no luck whatsoever when he finished at the tail of the field in the Group 2 Jockey Club Sprint (1200m).
One of the big winners of the 2014 Hong Kong Sprint barrier draw was Caspar Fownes-trained Lucky Nine, will jump from barrier four.
Lucky Nine was another horse that had very little luck in the Jockey Club Sprint, but the Dubawi gelding is a proven performer at the highest level of racing and he has recorded seven victories at the highest level of racing.
Other horses that fared well at the barrier draw include Irish hope Sole Power (barrier five), the talented Sterling City (barrier three), George Ryder Stakes winner Gordon Lord Byron (barrier two), Japanese hope Little Gerda (barrier one) and Jockey Club Sprint winner Peniaphobia (barrier six).
The big losers of the Hong Kong Sprint barrier draw were the Japanese-trained duo of Straight Girl and Snow Dragon who will both jump from towards the outside of the field when they make their Hong Kong racing debut this weekend.
Snow Dragon and Straight Girl earnt themselves a start in the Hong Kong Sprint when they finished first and second in the Group 1 Sprinters Stakes (1200m) in Japan in October, but will both need plenty of luck following their tricky draws.
Another horse that will need plenty of luck to find a positive position in the early stages of the Hong Kong Sprint is Singaporean hope Spalato.
Spalato suffered his first race defeat when he finished towards the tail of the field in the Jockey Club Sprint and will need to produce a much improved performance to be any chance in the Hong Kong Sprint.
