Irish training genius Aidan O’Brien could have his first runners at The Championships in Sydney next autumn with the outstanding Mogul a possible contender for the $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes (200km) at Royal Randwick.
Mogul is regarded as the “next big thing” out of the O’Brien stable and the three-year-old gave a demonstration of his class and ability when he easily defeated older horses in the Hong Kong International Vase at Sha Tin last Sunday.
This was the Galileo colt’s second Group 1 win of the year after also taking out the Grand Prix de Paris in France.
Trainer reveals reason for Legend’s HK flop Danon Smash (red and white) under Ryan Moore wins the Hong Kong Sprint International at Sha Tin. Picture: AFP
Mitch Cohen and Ray Thomas
6:55PM13 December 2020
The forgettable performance of ex-Aussie star Classique Legend in the Hong Kong International Sprint on Sunday was labelled as ‘unacceptable’ by stewards who demanded answers for his Sha Tin failure on Sunday.
Those answers came later with trainer Caspar Fownes reporting to stewards on Monday that the big grey had been examined at his stables and was found to be lame in his off foreleg.
Classique Legend was a long way from his best on his Hong Kong debut after the 2020 The Everest winner struggled to make any impact in his first run for Caspar Fownes.