Harry Eustace believes a different preparation can unlock an improved performance from Docklands in the G1 FWD Champions Mile a week on Sunday.
The six-year-old is no stranger to Hong Kong as he has run in the last two editions of the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile, including a smart fourth-place finish behind Voyage Bubble in December.
The winner of last year’s G1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, a premier event for older milers in Europe, Docklands will travel to Hong Kong after a comfortable victory in the Listed Doncaster Mile Stakes last month.
Eustace said: “The interesting thing about this run this time is that Hong Kong has always been on the way back from something else, and this is the first time it’s the whole point of the trip, so I hope that will help him.
“He seems fine after Doncaster and it was lovely to see him come back in as good order as ever, and I haven’t had to do much with him since.”
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Docklands often runs admirably in top mile events, having finished fourth in the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois and G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes last season, while he was also fifth in the G1 Sussex Stakes.
The son of Massaat was campaigned ambitiously in Britain, France, Japan, and Hong Kong last year, and Eustace believes he is reaching peak maturity as he returns to Sha Tin for FWD Champions Day.
“Towards the end of last year, he was finally running well,” Eustace said. “Everyone had him down as a straight-track horse, but he put up a good performance in the Hong Kong Mile and he’s becoming more versatile with age.
“He just allowed himself a better run. He jumped a bit better and put himself into the race and once he does that, he’s obviously got the class to be competitive.”
Docklands will leave Britain on Friday (April 17) and will be ridden by Mark Zahra in the FWD Champions Mile, where he will clash with fellow Group 1 winners Voyage Bubble, Lucky Sweynesse, Red Lion and Jantar Mantar.
He finished ninth behind the Japanese star in the G1 Mile Championship at Kyoto in November, but there is reason to believe he can improve on that effort because he broke slowly from the stalls and was forced to challenge from wide on the track.
“He was well beaten by Jantar Mantar in Japan, but he’s been competitive with everything else in the race, so we go there with a good each-way chance,” Eustace said.
“If we get some racing luck, he can go well. He’s a very good horse, but he isn’t a champion miler, and he isn’t building a stud career, so he’s chasing money and there’s good prizemoney in Hong Kong.”
Eustace will be able to count on his brother David, who trains in Hong Kong full-time, to help oversee his horse’s preparation for the race before he arrives late next week.
He said: “It’s certainly an added bonus to go where he’s training and to have a competitive runner there adds another layer of excitement."
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