Rising Romance will not make the trip to Hong Kong for the 2015 Hong Kong Cup and she has been sent to the spelling paddock following her poor performance in the Group 2 Zipping Classic (2400m) at Sandown on Saturday.
Rising Romance will not make the trip to Hong Kong for the 2015 Hong Kong Cup. Photo by: Steve Hart
Rising Romance went into the Zipping Classic as favourite following her close second behind Gailo Chop in the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 31, but she was one of the first horses beaten and she failed to beat home a single runner.
The Group 1 Hong Kong Cup (2000m) had been on the agenda for Rising Romance, but co-trainer Tom Dabernig confirmed that Rising Romance had suffered a minor leg injury in the Zipping Classic and had been sent to the spelling paddock,
“She got galloped on,” Dabernig said.
“It was on her foreleg and it sort of broke the skin and bled quite heavily.
“That may have been an excuse.
“I think she definitely likes a bit of sting out of the ground, it was a bit firm for her and she probably doesn’t perform at her best.
“She has had a pretty long spring too and she has gone to the paddock.”
Rising Romance has not recorded a win in Australia since she took out the Group 1 Australian Oaks (2400m) in 2014, but she was placed at Group 1 level in both the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) and Mackinnon Stakes during the 2015 Spring Racing Carnival.
Dabernig confirmed that Rising Romance would return to racing for the 2015 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival and he is confident that the Ekraar mare still has the ability to win at the highest level of racing.
“She will definitely be coming back for the autumn,” Dabernig said.
“She has clearly shown in the Makybe Diva and the Mackinnon that she has been racing well and there is a good race in her.
“She will have a break now and hopefully we can get her to fire in the Sydney autumn.”
The Lindsay Park team will still be represented in Hong Kong by Criterion, who will have the chance to go one better in the Hong Kong Cup after he finished third behind Designs On Rome and Military Attack last year.
Designs On Rome is currently available at 2015 Hong Kong Cup odds of $4 with Ladbrokes and he is a narrow favourite from Criterion ($4.50), Staphanos ($9), Got Fly ($10) and Blazing Speed ($10).
