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Hall opts to go with a claimer for his Absolute Champion
Prebble sticks with Medic Power, but tough decision awaits in November
MURRAY BELL
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Hong Kong Sprint hero Absolute Champion will not be partnered with his regular pilot Brett Prebble for the Premier Bowl. Photo: Kenneth Chan
Brett Prebble was saved from a tough and potentially painful decision when trainer David Hall engaged claiming apprentice Marco Chui Kwan-lai for Absolute Champion in next week's Group Three HSBC Premier Bowl at Sha Tin.
The Premier Bowl (1,200m) will be an early highlight of the season, featuring a showdown between Absolute Champion and the horse most likely to challenge for his title as Hong Kong's best sprinter, Medic Power.
Prebble has been the regular rider of both geldings and while he will be forced to choose between them soon enough, that day has been delayed by at least a month with Hall deciding to take the seven-pound claim in his comeback race.
"He's the top-rated sprinter in town, on a domestic rating of 128, so I guess he'll probably get the full 133 pounds," Hall said. "I was pleased with his barrier trial win and I've engaged Marco Chui to take the seven pounds off - I think that's the best way to go, especially first-up."
Absolute Champion won last year's Premier Bowl, first-up from a spell, and caused a 34-1 boilover in winning under a brilliant rails-hugging ride from Eddie Lai Wai-ming. The Marauding gelding was then engaged in a tactical manoeuvre by Hall, who opted to keep him fresh for the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint rather than race him once more in the International Sprint Trial.
It was a brave call, worthy of a global poker champion, and looked like coming unstuck when Absolute Champion originally missed selection for the Hong Kong Sprint. But he was elevated into the field in the week of the race and then thrashed the world's best by 4 1/4 lengths in new course record time of one minute and 7.8 seconds.
Absolute Champion won three of his four starts for the season, but was scratched from his intended final appearance in the Group One Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup (1,400m) on April 9 with an elevated temperature. But even without that final hurrah, Absolute Champion was still a runaway winner as Hong Kong's Champion Sprinter for the season, a title he also earned on the world stage with an international rating of 121.
While Absolute Champion was confirming his presence at top level, a young upstart called Medic Power was going from strength to strength, winning five of his six starts, highlighted by the Premier Sha Tin Vase (Gr 3, 1,200m) on May 24, where he shaved a tenth of a second off Absolute Champion's course record at 1:7.7 seconds.
Prebble rode both Medic Power and Absolute Champion to barrier trial wins last week and if he can split them at this stage, it's an opinion he's kept well and truly to himself.
Each sprinter won his trial under a big hold from Prebble, with Medic Power winning up the Sha Tin straight in 59.0 seconds, while Absolute Champion held a length margin at the end of 1,000m at Happy Valley on Saturday, clocking 60.4 seconds.
After next Sunday's showdown, the next possible meeting for Absolute Champion and Medic Power could be in the International Sprint Trial (1,200m) on November 17.
But while that option remains open to Hall, the greater likelihood is that he would leave it to Sacred Kingdom to soften up Medic Power in that race. In that scenario, the Hong Kong Sprint on December 9 is when Prebble's decision will have to be made. His loyalty to both trainers is strong, so it will come down to a cold professional opinion, with the world's richest sprint prize for getting it right.
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