Christophe Soumillon will miss Sunday's Hong Kong International Races meeting after failing to secure an 'unconditional' release from the 14-day quarantine he has been undertaking in Hong Kong.
Having been granted a short-term riding contract with the Hong Kong Jockey Club set to begin HKIR day Dec. 13 and last through Feb. 14, Soumillon–who tested positive for COVID-19 at the Breeders' Cup in Kentucky early last month–arrived Nov. 26.
A release from the Club Thursday evening indicated that even though Soumillon had cleared his first COVID-19 test upon his arrival, that he had been yet to receive clearance and was being asked to undergo further testing by the Hong Kong Department of Health. The release stated that is was not known when said testing would take place, nor could a release date from quarantine be pinpointed.
Soumillon was booked for each of the four HKIR Sunday afternoon, chief among them defending champion Admire Mars (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) in the Hong Kong Mile. Ryan Moore has been engaged. His other rides have been assigned as follows:
Hong Kong Vase: Vincent Ho on Ho Ho Khan (NZ)
Hong Kong Sprint: Alexis Badel will ride Computer Patch (Aus)
Hong Kong Cup: Zac Purton rides Normcore (Jpn)
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