Dual Hong Kong Champion Sprinter Wellington (Aus) (All Too Hard {Aus}), who is slated to take part in Royal Ascot's G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee S., placed third in a 1000-metre turf trial (video) at Sha Tin on Tuesday morning, to the delight of trainer Richard Gibson.
A four-time Group 1 winner, Wellington was kept under a tight rein throughout by Alexis Badel and clocked :57.94 for the trial.
“There's no greater judge than Alexis to base his [Wellington's] form and condition on and we're really satisfied with the trial,” Gibson said.
The gelding, who triumphed in the G1 Hong Kong Sprint in December, would be the first Royal Ascot winner for Hong Kong since the Danny Shum-trained Little Bridge (NZ) (Faltaat) won the G1 King's Stand S. back in 2012.
Gibson, who saddled Gold-Fun (Ire) (Le Vie Dei Colori {GB}) to a second-placed run in the G1 Diamond Jubilee S. in 2016, added, “It's hot and we've got to travel in a few days. He did everything perfectly today. He's on the plane on Saturday and we're looking forward to it. It was a good boost to see him work so well this morning.”
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