Highfield aiming to be Princess of Sha Tin
A TOP sprint in Europe rarely takes place without Highfield Princess and her trainer John Quinn is hoping she can give Great Britain a first win in the Group One LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin on Sunday.
It is a race local horses have dominated by winning all but six of the 23 runnings since 1999 and in that time the likes of Borderlescott, Sole Power, Society Rock and Bated Breath have tried and failed for Britain.
However, Highfield Princess is no ordinary sprinter. Having graduated from an initial handicap mark of 57 as a three-year-old, she has become one of the most versatile sprinters the country has seen for many years, winning Group Ones from five furlongs to six and a half.
An incredible spell last autumn saw her win three Group Ones – the Prix de Maurice de Gheest, Nunthorpe Stakes and Flying Five – in just 36 days.
She ended her campaign with a respectable fourth in the Group One Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland, and Quinn believes choosing not to travel to the United States this year will pay off on his first visit to the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races.
“It was a difficult decision but we purposely skipped it [Breeders’ Cup] in the hope we could give her the best chance to get to Hong Kong in top form,” Quinn said of his star mare.
“I’ve always wanted to have one good enough to come here and it’s nice to have one we feel is good enough. We’re delighted to be here.
“She had a hard race last time, but she had a very easy week afterwards and she’s a big mare, so she doesn’t need too much time to recover between races.
“We were always thinking this year was going to be a lighter campaign. Her first run was in May and she turned up at every big gig all year and ran brilliantly.”
The only slightly disappointing run this season was in the Flying Five at the Curragh, but the resilient mare put that effort behind her with a brave success in the Group One Prix de l’Abbaye three weeks later.
That success came on good-to-soft ground, but Quinn believes the conditions at Sha Tin will play more to her strengths.
“If you look in the form book, you’ll have to say her best form is on fast ground,” he said.
“She ran two wonderful races at Royal Ascot four days apart on quick going, and the ground was much quicker than the official description when she won the Prix Maurice de Gheest.”
Stable jockey Jason Hart exercised her on the dirt track at Sha Tin on Friday morning and Quinn acknowledged that he is going to face a challenge on Sunday after the mare was handed stall nine in yesterday’s barrier draw ceremony.
“We are where we are, but there’s going to be a lot of pace,” said Quinn. “You’d hope you could be somewhere in the first half of the field and ride her accordingly.”
Highfield Princess has won almost £1.8 million for owner-breeder John Fairley, the former Channel 4 Racing boss, who has travelled the world with his family following their star mare.
“It’s wonderful if you get a racehorse that can win a race, it’s absolutely phenomenal,” said Quinn.
“But if you happen to breed one that ends up as probably one of the best mares in the world, it’s something that you see in a movie.”
Let’s hope the Princess can put in another Oscar-winning performance on Sunday.
LONGINES Hong Kong International Races day at Sha Tin begins at 4:25am on Sunday, with all 10 races live on Sky Sports Racing.