Docklands is “very happy” to be back in Hong Kong as he looks to cause a stir in Sunday’s Group One Hong Kong Mile for British trainer Harry Eustace.
The globetrotter has raced in five different countries, including Hong Kong last year when he finished down the field in the Hong Kong Mile.
This year has seen him hit some career-best form, however, including a win by the barest of margins in the Group One Queen Anne Stakes (1,600m) at Royal Ascot under Mark Zahra.
Most recently, he made the trip to Japan and finished a decent ninth in the Group One Mile Championship at Kyoto racecourse when caught much further back than ideal from a very wide draw.
A return to Hong Kong has not fazed the Massaat galloper, with Eustace’s stable representative Laura Pike reporting him to be in fine form as he completed another piece of light work on Tuesday morning.
“I was with him in Japan and we flew over together. It was a very short flight, less than four hours, so it was quite good after the long-distance one from England,” said Pike.
“It’s very different here for both me and him. It was cold in Japan and it’s beautiful over here, which has been a pleasant change.
“He’s come out of the [Mile Championship] really well and he ran a really good race. Once he came round the bend he ran on really strongly, but unfortunately we were just too far back.
“He seems in great spirits and he’s very happy to be back here again, I think – he takes his travelling really well. When he arrived he was like ‘oh, I’ve been here before’ and has seemed really happy – he’s taken it all in his stride.”
Docklands could only manage ninth behind Voyage Bubble in last year’s Mile, not getting the clearest run before weakening out of contention 400m out.
After a much stronger campaign this year, Eustace is hoping his charge can finish much closer in a race that looks far more open than it did 12 months ago.
“Last year was maybe a messy second half of the year for him because we were tilting towards the Cox Plate over 2,040m,” Eustace told the Jockey Club.
“He ran well in the Queen Anne, then City Of Troy’s Juddmonte International, then the Cox Plate, took on Via Sistina again in the Champion Stakes, then went back to a sharp mile in Hong Kong.
“I feel this year versus last year, he’s obviously a better horse and more consistent and competitive at the top level.
“I hope it’s stood him in good stead for travelling again. If we could get an OK draw, I think he could show up a bit better than he did last year, that’s for sure.”
Meanwhile, Andre Fabre’s travelling head groom Richard Lambert provided a positive update on Sosie ahead of his run in the Group One Hong Kong Vase (2,400m).
“He was a bit more composed this morning and I couldn’t be happier with how he has settled in,” said Lambert. “He might have a gentle breeze on the turf on Wednesday, just to have a feel of the track.”
