 |
|
| Sumita Pawar |
 |
John Quinn hopes that his sprinter, Highfield Princess, can give Great Britain its first win in the Gr.1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint. The race has been dominated by local horses, winning all but six of the 23 runnings since 1999.
Great Britain's attempts have failed in the past, with the most recent British runner, Sir Dancealot, finishing last in 2018. However, Highfield Princess is no ordinary sprinter. She has become one of the most versatile sprinters Great Britain has seen for many years, winning Group Ones from 1000m to 1300m.
Quinn believes that choosing not to travel to the United States of America this year will pay off on his first visit to the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races. Highfield Princess had a hard race last time but had a very easy week afterwards. Quinn purposely skipped the Breeders' Cup in the hope of giving her the best chance to get to Hong Kong in top form. The trainer is confident that Highfield Princess can adapt to however the race will be run, with Thursday's official draw set to inform plans for jockey Jason Hart.
The Longines-sponsored Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin on December 10th features Highfield Princess, the representative for Team British Racing. Among the 24 international horses and 15 Gr.1 winners, the fan favourite comes in as a four-time Gr.1 winner. Trainer John Quinn decided to bypass the Breeders' Cup in favour of a crack at the Hong Kong Sprint after the mare's recent success at the Prix de l'Abbaye on the Arc card at Longchamp.
"We had the Breeders' Cup in our mind as well as Hong Kong, but we thought she had quite a hard race in the l'Abbaye, so we decided to miss the Breeders' Cup and head to Hong Kong," said Quinn, who spoke to Great British Racing. "We feel we've done the right thing. She's training well – she's nice and fresh, she's fit. I took her away for a racecourse gallop three weeks ago and I was pleased with her."
Trainer John Quinn has been training Highfield Princess for John Fairley, who owns the 6YO mare under the Trainers House Enterprises Ltd banner. "Highfield Princess has been a wonderful mare for me and the yard and the owners," added Quinn. "This year she's run fantastically well – Royal Ascot twice without winning! She ran really well in the King's Stand and three days later in the Platinum Jubilee, and also at Glorious Goodwood, she was spectacular."
Quinn, who is based in North Yorkshire, highlights the importance of international racing for trainers, "I think it is absolutely imperative as a trainer that you should try and sell your trade around the world. The world is a small place now and the prize-money around the world is absolutely fantastic. It's a wonderful thing to have some good racehorses to travel the world because it's great for the owner, it's great for the horse, and it's great for us."
Highfield Princess will be accompanied by British-trained compatriot West Wind Blows, who is set to compete in the Hong Kong Vase for Simon & Ed Crisford after the horse was the runner-up in a pair of Gr.1 events at the Melbourne Spring Carnival.