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| Staff Writer |
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On Sunday 10 December, Andrea Atzeni will take part in the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin. He has already made a strong start in Hong Kong and hopes to confirm his status as one of the most promising talents in the weighing room with his two rides.
After winning the Gr.1 Prix Morny on Vandeek in August, the jockey decided to leave Great Britain for Hong Kong. Since then, he has quickly made a positive impression on the locals during his initial stint. Atzeni's previous experience as a licensed jockey in Hong Kong during the 2014/15 season has proven to be valuable, as he will attempt to win a Group One in his eighth different racing jurisdiction this weekend.
“It’s going pretty good,” he said after riding trackwork. “I’ve been here for just over three months. It took a bit of time to settle in with the time difference and getting to know the track and the trainers. I’ve had three doubles since I’ve been here and ridden 13 winners.
“I’ve adapted to the racing style a lot quicker than I thought. It’s completely different from the European style of racing, it’s much sharper. The average races are from 1000m to 1600m, with only a few over 1800m or 2000m and that’s as far as you go. Everything happens a lot quicker here and Happy Valley is very sharp.
“You’ve got to be mentally quite strong. It’s a very tight system, there are only so many horses, trainers and jockeys. It’s tough anywhere in the world but I can’t complain.”
Atzeni has had to adjust to more than just focus on tempo and positioning since Hong Kong's jockeys must find their own rides. Nonetheless, he has realized he has an advantage over some of his fellow riders in the weighing room.
“I had a guy called Roy that the Club provided to help me find rides in the first three months,” he said. “Now I’m starting to do it on my own – it’s different because I’ve always had an agent. You have to keep an eye on entries.
“One of the good things is I can do pretty much any weight so if I get an offer for a good ride I can just take it without having to worry about that, because a lot of trainers can book you two or three weeks in advance for a horse.
“The Group races here are handicaps so a horse can carry 8st 3lb, which I can do, whereas other jockeys have to wait until they can commit, so that works to my advantage sometimes.”
The jockey of Italian origin is looking forward to Sunday's main event in Hong Kong, where he will ride six horses, including Nimble Nimbus in the HK$36 million LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m) and Lucky With You in the HK$26 million LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m).
"Nimble Nimbus performed very well on the last occasion," he commented on the five-time winner trained by Ricky Yiu. "It's a significant step up in grade, and he needs to improve his ratings significantly, but he's a consistent horse, and I hope he performs well."
Atzeni has ridden Lucky With You in his two starts since joining Frankie Lor's stable and believes his attitude could put him in a good position against contenders like Lucky Sweynesse, Highfield Princess, and Mad Cool.
“Lucky With You is the same,” he said. “He’s a very straightforward horse. I won a Class 2 on him and he ran okay last time. They’re two outside chances, it would be nice to pick up some pieces.”