Elsworth Back In Hong Kong With Sir Dancealot
Sir Dancealot will be the only international contender from Europe for the 1200m Gr.1 Hong Kong Sprint. He will be saddled by veteran Newmarket handler David Elsworth. He visited the Sha Tin track as long ago as 1990, when he sent Landyap to finish fourth in the Hong Kong Cup.
Elsworth is nearing his 79th birthday. He was champion British jumps trainer in the 1987/88 season when he had a Grand National winner, Rhyme ‘N’ Reason, to his credit. In addition, he earned a place in British racing history as trainer of legendary steeplechaser Desert Orchid.
Sir Dancealot has been ultra-consistent in 2018 - winning Gr.3 and Gr.2 prizes at Newmarket, Goodwood and Newbury - while posing an interesting question so far as the Hong Kong International Races is concerned.
All those wins were at seven furlongs (1400m), which the trainer concedes is probably Sir Dancealot’s optimum distance. Thus the dilemma was whether to tackle the Sprint or the Hong Kong Mile.
While not underestimating the task ahead, Elsworth clearly holds his stable star in high regard.
“It’s a high class race, of course it is, but Sir Dancealot has done nothing wrong all year – he’s the only one coming out from Europe for the Sprint, so we’ll give it a go,” he said.
“His one poor run was at Haydock when the ground was heavy. He’s only a four-year-old, but he’s improved all year and hopefully he’ll have a few more seasons in him yet.”
Credit: HKJC