Hong Kong hearts were broken as the two sprinters carrying the Bauhinia flag were beaten by barriers, in more ways than one, and the fancied trio in the Dubai Duty Free failed to fire on a drama-charged evening at Meydan.
Joy And Fun was left the sole Hong Kong-runner in the Al Quoz Sprint after the surprising late scratching of Eagle Regiment and missed the start as a result of what connections said was a change in the way the horse is handled in the starting gates.
The Derek Cruz-trained sprinter still ran a mighty third, as did Caspar Fownes-trained Lucky Nine, who was forced to chase from the rear after jumping from the widest barrier in the Golden Shaheen.'They didn't really hold his tail like they do in Hong Kong, he sat back on the gates and missed the start,' said Joy and Fun's jockey Brett Doyle.
Doyle switched to the inside rail and Joy And Fun hit the front for the briefest of moments in the second half of the race. But he was swooped on by the fast-finishing Australian mare Ortensia with former Hong Kong-based jockey Craig Williams aboard.
Cruz was shattered after the race, but full of admiration for his beloved veteran. 'It was a bit heart-breaking. He ran very well and was very game,' he said 'It was a little on the short side. If they had held his tail and he had jumped properly, he could have been right there.'
Eagle Regiment had battled lameness issues in the week leading up to the race and failed a late veterinary check.
Winning jockey Williams deflected questions about a possible trip to Ascot with Ortensia, but floated a return to December's Hong Kong Sprint.