Sir Alex Ferguson arrives in Hong Kong to watch his star horse Spirit Dancer chase massive £2.2m payday
SIR ALEX FERGUSON’s having the time of his life with Spirit Dancer — and the party has now rolled on to Hong Kong.
The legendary ex-Man United boss is due to arrive in the Far East today ahead of his home-bred’s run in the £4 million Hong Kong Cup tomorrow.
The seven-year-old has taken Fergie on a tour of the Middle East in the last couple of years winning massive pots in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia with a few spins in Dubai chucked in to bank over £2million.
And, after Spirit Dancer successfully defended his Bahrain Trophy crown last month, Fergie and trainer Richard Fahey fancied some Far Eastern promise.
Sir Alex, 82, said: “We are all so proud of Spirit Dancer. He has been amazing for us.
“He has racked up plenty of air miles and given us some amazing days. It’s even sweeter because we bred him ourselves.
“It won’t be easy taking on the best in Hong Kong on their own turf. It’s another big away game for us!
“Oisin Orr rode a super race on him in Bahrain and riding in Hong Kong will be a great experience for him.”
Spirit Dancer must take on Hong Kong legend Romantic Warrior. The six-year-old has won the last two Hong Kong Cups and bids to make history by becoming the first to land a hat-trick.
Fahey said: “Romantic Warrior is the best in the business. He is a local legend. We know the task we face.
“There will 85,000 fans at the track and it will go might quiet if Romantic Warrior gets beat!
“But there is big money for the places so hopefully we can at least take some of that home with us.
“We’ve had one runner in Hong Kong before but he ran in the Sprint and he wasn’t good enough — he was about 50 yards behind the others a few seconds after the gates opened.
“I think Spirit Dancer has the class and the cruising speed to go well in a race like the Hong Kong Cup, so it is a race I’ve had in my mind for him.
“It’s a proper race with a rich history and it’s a hell of a lot of prize-money, so his owners didn’t need much convincing to come.”
Win, lose or draw, they won’t be short of watering holes after the race in this one-of-a-kind city.
Fahey, 58, said: “Spirit Dancer has given us all a hell of a lot of fun. It has a special edge for Sir Alex given he bred him.
“Sir Alex is so engaged and when you’re away on these trips you have a bit of time to sit around the pool or have dinner and chat away.
“He’s got some amazing stories that he has shared over a glass of red, not to be repeated of course.
“We are coming here with a horse at the peak of his powers. It was the best run of his life last time in Bahrain. He was comfortable at every stage and the runner-up — a very good horse of John Gosden’s — got first run on him and he still mowed him down.
“This is what it’s all about but you can’t do it without the horse and Spirit Dancer is very good. It’s a tough race but I think he has a big run in him.”
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