A freak accident very nearly changed the overall look of the fixed odds by ending the challenge of Australia’s sole representative in this Sunday’s valuable Group 1 Hong Kong International Sprint at Sha Tin, when a cat ran across the path of Ortensia during a training session on the track, startling the mare and causing her to lose her jockey and run loose before being caught.
The five-year-old daughter of Testa Rossa, trained by Tony Noonan and ridden at the exercise gallop by Noonan’s son Jake, spooked at the unexpected sight of the feline interloper, throwing her rider before careering away and jumping the rails before her stable lass managed to bring her under control.
A potential future career as a show jumper might not be completely out of the question for the Grade 1 winning sprinter, but after immediately placing ice on all four of Ortensia’s legs, Noonan reported that his charge appears to have been remarkably unscathed. She has subsequently returned to training and apparently shaped well over 1200 metres in her most recent spin on Sunday.
Generally on offer for the Hong Kong speed test at around 14/1, Ortensia was last seen in action at Flemington early last month when returning from a near five-month break to finish third to Black Caviar in the Group 1 Patinack Farm Classic, under Craig Williams. The majority of the horse racing betting interest on the contest surrounds the latest clash between local star Sacred Kingdom, winner of the race 12 months ago, and Rocket Man, the Singapore-based flying machine who recently took his tally to 8 wins from 10 starts when winning the Group 2 Cathay Pacific Jockey Club Sprint over Sunday’s course and distance.
The feature sprint is just one of a number of high class races taking place at the track on Sunday that has attracted star horses from around the world, including recent Melbourne Cup winner Americain, who is set to bid to follow up his famous Flemington success in the Hong Kong Vase, over a mile-and-a-half.
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