Confident trainer David Ferraris says a rare "perfect big-race preparation" for BMW Hong Kong Derby dark horse Dynamism could help deliver co-owner and former Jockey Club chairman Wong Chung-hin a long-awaited first win in the classic at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Ferraris tasted Derby success 10 years ago with Vengeance Of Rain, but would love nothing more than to put the name of a long-time client Ferraris respectfully refers to as "CH" in the record books.
"CH has never won a Derby and has been in racing a long time," Ferraris said of Wong, who was chairman from 1996-98. "A lot of owners just want to have a runner in the Derby, just for the sake of it - which can ruin horses.
"But that certainly isn't the case with this horse. He has been my Derby horse from the moment he walked into the yard and I'm excited we have a runner in there that isn't forced."
Dynamism, who Wong races with son Arnold Wong Chi-chiu, goes into the HK$18 million Group One as an outsider, but Ferraris says that unlike some of his rivals, the race has arrived at just the right time following a breakthrough win in Class Two over 2,000m a little under one month ago. "I didn't want to run him again after that and it worked out very well. Another run wasn't necessary for his rating or fitness," Ferraris said.
"One of the biggest challenges in Hong Kong is that in order to qualify a lot of these Derby horses you have to run them when you don't want to, and you can take them over the top. I'm just happy he is at his best and I think we are going into the race with an enormous chance, I really do."
Ferraris believes a 1,600m turf trial last week provided an ideal workout before the 2,000m race - a trip over which Dynamism also finished second at Group Three level in Germany for leading handler Andreas Wohler.
"The distance won't be a worry at all and that trial was ideal because they ran along pretty fast. He has tended to travel a bit keener the fitter he has got and that strong pace helped him relax into a rhythm," he said.
That tendency to want to take hold has Ferarris concerned that the race could descend into a slow-run and messy race, which has happened frequently in recent years, and something the trainer's former Classic Mile winner Sweet Orange fell victim to when third as favourite in the incident-packed 2012 Derby.
"It's not ideal if they stop-start like that, but a good barrier can help us overcome it. That will allow [jockey] Olivier [Doleuze] to just drop him in without having to grab hold of him. We would love an even tempo."
Meanwhile, Paul O'Sullivan-trained sprinter Aerovelocity rounded out his preparations ahead of the Group One Takamatsunomiya Kinen at Chukyo this month with a 1,200m dirt trial win under Zac Purton.
"He relaxed well, went through the gears and pulled up well," O'Sullivan said of the Hong Kong Sprint winner, who leaves for Japan on Monday. "The way he is going, I'm very happy to be … heading into a big race."
