3 minute read

It will remain an unforgettable race for several reasons - the performance of Fine Needle, the unfortunate injury to Lucky Bubbles and the typhoon.

Fine Needle is the first horse since Lord Kanaloa to win the two G1 Sprint races in the same year - the Takamatsunomiya Kinen and the Sprinters Stakes. Add to that his win in the race before this the G2 Centaur Stakes. His trainer Yoshitaki Taklahashi described how after his holidays last winter he came back into the yard much bigger and more solid both physically and mentally. He was fourth in the Hong Kong Sprint last year and it looks as if they will be heading back to improve on that.

The injury to Lucky Bubbles happened just before the turn into the straight - Prebble said he heard a "pop" and new it wasn't good so he pulled the horse up and dismounted and removed the saddle and Lucky Bubbles was taken by horse ambulance to the course hospital where the vets gave Mr Takahashi the sad news. The only good part of this was that it isn't life threatening, but it's a sad end to a great career.

We took a time out to catch up with Joao Moreira who is doing very well on a temporary licence. He's going to sit the written test that could lead to him obtaining a permanent licence and is being coached in the topics by his agent Adam Harrington, with Moreira adding that without Adam's help he would have found it much more difficult. He said that while racing had been his life it was still a subject on which he still had much to learn and while he was nervous about the exam he was enjoying the opportunity to learn much more particularly about Japanese racing. As for Australia the only race he can get to during the Spring Carnival is the Melbourne Cup and as yet he hasn't made up his mind about a ride. All the weekends have G1 races in Japan so it would be hard for him to travel. But for the moment it is eyes down on the study. We might add that Joao rode a four timer on Saturday and a double on Sunday.