Howard Wright -
Reworking the old theme of Have saddle, Will travel, which was used here recently, this weekend’s big international races in Hong Kong provide the perfect example of Have horse, Will travel. And thanks to the ownership of West Wind Blows, the UAE can take the credit.
Carrying the distinctive black and yellow silks of Abdulla Al Mansoori and racing under the Rabbah Bloodstock banner, West Wind Blows will represent the father-and-son combination of Simon and Ed Crisford in the 2400m Hong Kong Vase.
As Godolphin front-man in the UK and Dubai for so many years, Simon knows exactly what it takes to travel a horse and he says the four-year-old West Wind Blows fits the bill perfectly, hence six of his last ten races have been overseas from his usual Newmarket base.
“We identified him quite early on as a horse who could be a nice international type,” Crisford says, “and he’s proved a real professional at travelling. As he gets older, I’m sure he will get even better.”
By Teofilo out of the French Oaks winner West Wind, West Wind Blows was earmarked as being out of the ordinary almost from the start, winning his two races before running ninth in the Derby.
He continued on an upward curve, but his biggest improvement has come following a gelding operation in May this year, since when he has been out of the first three only once in
seven outings.
His lowest finish was ninth place in the Champions Stakes at Flemington on his most recent outing, after he had run a stormer previously when beaten a head by former stablemate Without A Fight in the Caulfield Cup. But Crisford rates that performance as “a blip”, where the finishing position did not tell the whole story of his race.
hong kong was always on our radar
He explains: “He had a slight tendency in his three races in Australia to be slowly out of the gates, and that worked against him on that occasion. We hadn’t planned for it to happen, but he’s none the worse for it.”
That West Wind Blows was the first overseas arrival for the Hong Kong international races was deliberate, Crisford says.
“Hong Kong was always on our radar, and he had been based at Werribee training centre for quite some time, so we got to Hong Kong early,” he adds.
“Ed, who’s out there with him, tells me he’s in good form. Just as important, we’ve done some gate-schooling with him, and Ed says he’s better.”
Assessing his chance in Hong Kong, Simon says: “A mile and a half is a good trip for him, but he’s going to have to raise his game again against some horses that are rated higher than him. The Vase looks a deep race this year.
Having been ridden by Jamie Spencer in seven of his last eight races, including at Flemington, West Wind Blows will have a new partner in James McDonald, who is on a short contract in Hong Kong from his native Australia. “James is a world-class jockey, a perfect fit for this horse,” Crisford says.
Representing the UAE, West Wind Blows has history behind him but a long gap to fill. Since the international races assumed their present form in 1999, the UAE is credited with four wins, by Fantastic Light and Ramonti in the Cup, in 2000 and 2007 respectively, by Firebreak in the 2004 Mile and Mastery in the 2010 Vase.
All four were owned by Godolphin, trained by Saeed bin Suroor and ridden by Frankie Dettori. And their visits to Hong Kong were all managed by Simon Crisford, who says: “It will be an honour to represent the UAE with West Wind Blows. Let’s hope we pick up a piece of the pie.”
