News | Hong Kong Jockey Club (8)

Alacrity to press BMW Hong Kong Derby claims

Jamie Richards will attempt to secure a BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) berth with Alacrity in the Class 3 Suffolk Handicap (1600m) at Sha Tin on Sunday to add further impetus to an impressive mid-season surge. In the throes of his first campaign in Hong Kong, the multiple former New Zealand champion trainer has systematically amassed 18 wins from 178 starters after a deliberately conservative start to the season. With 53 Group 1 victories during a record-breaking six-and-a-half year stint at Te Akau Racing, Richards is familiar with elite success and is hopeful Alacrity – a Chilean G1 winner as Viejos Tiempos – can build on an eye-catching fourth behind leading BMW Hong Kong Derby contender Beauty Eternal over 1400m at Sha Tin on 12 February. “He’s a high-class horse who came into Hong Kong with good form, so it wasn’t a complete surprise that he ran well first-up,” Richards said. “He’s got an awkward barrier (13) this weekend, so I’d say we’d have to ride him a similar way to how we rode him first time, but he’s going need luck and he’s going to need pace in the race to finish it off – but looking forward to seeing how he goes.” Richards is acutely aware the 78-rater needs to press for victory on Sunday to enhance Derby hopes. “He needs to probably to win on the weekend – if not, run top three – to get his rating up a little bit higher. We’re certainly trying to get him there (to the Derby) and from a more favourable draw, I would have probably been quite confident that he was going well enough to figure in the finish, but he’s going to need a lot of luck from the outside barrier,” he said before explaining the decision to remove cheek pieces. “He just wanted to overdo it a little bit in the early part of the race last time, so we took the cheek pieces off for this weekend’s run – only a minor gear adjustment – but just trying to make him relax a bit more in the early part of the race.” Karis Teetan, who partnered Romantic Warrior to victory in the 2022 BMW Hong Kong Derby, is adamant Alacrity is worthy of Classic consideration. “I think he’s definitely a Derby horse – the further he goes, the better he will get – so it’s a race that’s very important for the horse and if he runs well, he could be going for the Derby,” the Mauritian said. “We were all happy with his first run, he finished off well and that shows improvement is coming. He’s a horse that needs ground, we don’t have many options from that draw.”

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Alacrity to press BMW Hong Kong Derby claims

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