John Size has secured the services of Ryan Moore to ride Mickley in Sunday’s Hong Kong Classic Cup as well as the Hong Kong Derby after what the trainer acknowledges has been a somewhat unconventional preparation for the city’s most prestigious race.
Moore will chase a second Classic Cup for Size – he tasted success aboard Sun Jewellery in 2016 – before returning to Hong Kong to ride Mickley in the Derby on March 23 as last year’s Royal Ascot hero continues his busy first season in the city.
“Ryan will ride him on Sunday and he’ll ride him in the Derby,” Size told Idol Horse. “His mission is to get some prizemoney in the Derby, so we’ll see how Sunday goes first.”
Mickley was shipped to Hong Kong to continue his racing career by owner Siu Pak-kwan after the son of Solider’s Call claimed an impressive win in June’s Britannia Handicap, a race that has long been a source of potential Hong Kong Derby candidates.
He made his debut for Size over 1400m in November and has since been a regular in competitive mile contests at Sha Tin including the first leg of the four-year-old series, the Classic Mile, where he came with a late burst to grab fifth under Hugh Bowman.
Mickley was formerly based with Ed Bethell in Middleham and he has taken his racing well following his fourth on local debut, often hitting the line determinedly having been held up in the opening exchanges.
Sunday’s Classic Cup is set to be his eighth start in three months and while Size acknowledges his Derby hope has been kept busy, the legendary trainer says he is an individual who needs plenty of racing in the lead-up to the Derby.
“He’s definitely had some racing but it depends on the makeup of the horse whether that’s required,” he said. “In this instance, I think he needs the racing.
“The blinkers went on [in the Classic Mile] to help with a bit of concentration and just to help him travel a little bit better.
“We’ll have to wait until he gets a record to know what his best distance is. I’m sure it will be in the form guide in about 18 months. But in the meantime, we’ll take it one race at a time.”
Size has reigned supreme in the Derby three times and on the last two occasions from unorthodox preparations that were questioned at the time but are now remembered as great training performances.
Size’s first Derby winner Fay Fay followed the most conventional route when, in 2012, he progressed through the four-year-old series with placings in the Classic Mile and Classic Cup. But the success of Luger in 2015 and Ping Hai Star in 2018 both stand out as career highlights for the 12-time champion trainer.
Luger went into the Derby second-up, stepping up from a Class 2 mile, after a series of set-backs while Ping Hai Star won his way from a Class 3 and a rating of 77 in January to jump from a 1400m Class 2 into the Derby via a barrier trial at Happy Valley. Ping Hai Star’s one-and-a-quarter-length success even led commentator Brett Davis to cry out “John Size produces a masterpiece with Ping Hai Star” as the galloper crossed the line.
Before Size’s thoughts turn to the Derby on March 23, the 70-year-old trainer will hope Moore can produce another masterclass in this Sunday’s HK$13 million Classic Cup.
The 14-runner field includes Mark Newnham’s Classic Mile winner My Wish, Francis Lui has five runners including rising star Packing Angel and Pierre Ng saddles up impressive last start winner Johannes Brahms, who will be ridden by Karis Teetan ∎
