Wednesday 25 November 2015 09:38, UK
Breeders' Cup runner-up Mondialiste is on course to try to go one place better in the Longines Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin on December 13.
David O'Meara's charge produced a career-best effort to be beaten just over two lengths by Tepin last month in the Mile at Keeneland having captured the Woodbine Mile in Canada on his previous start.
The five-year-old is set to jet out to Hong Kong on December 6 with O'Meara hoping for another good showing from the son of Galileo.
He said: "The plan is for Mondialiste to go for the Hong Kong Mile. He travelled to and from the Breeders' Cup really well and has come out of the race in great form.
"We were absolutely delighted with the run because going into it, although he had won the Canadian race, we looked up against it with horses like Esoterique, Make Believe and a few others in the line-up.
"It was always the plan to drop him out in Canada with the long straight there and, because it worked so well, we decided to do the same at Keeneland.
"As it turned out, they only went 48 seconds for the first half-mile. It was not ideal being held up off such a steady pace but he showed a great turn of foot and came home really well.
"He made the running when he won by 10 lengths at Pontefract (earlier in the year) and sat handy when he won at York. He is a versatile horse and can be ridden whatever way we like on the day.
"Although it is obviously the other way around, the configuration of Sha Tin is probably more like Woodbine rather than Keeneland in the fact that you only have one turn. At Keeneland, you have two turns for the mile. The track at Sha Tin should be fine.
"At the moment, the plan is to leave for Hong Kong on December 6."
Mondialiste is one of a handful of European runners selected for the Hong Kong fixture, which features four Group One contests.
He could be joined by old rival Esoterique, who hails from Andre Fabre's yard, Richard Hannon's Toormore and German runner Red Dubawi.
Dermot Weld's Free Eagle spearheads the entries for the 10-furlong Hong Kong Cup on what is set to be his final start before retiring to stud.
French runners Free Port Lux and Gailo Chop are also in the reckoning along with Australian star Criterion, who competed at both Royal Ascot and York's Ebor meeting this year.
Sir Michael Stoute's Cannock Chase and the Ed Dunlop-trained Trip To Paris could represent British interests in the 12-furlong Hong Kong Vase, in which Aidan O'Brien's Highland Reel is also a possible.
Popular veteran Cirrus Des Aigles could lead a strong French challenge with last year's Vase winner Flintshire, Erupt, Dariyan and Ming Dynasty also in the mix for a race which also has German contenders in Ito and Lovelyn.
There are no British-trained possibles in the Sprint with Eddie Lynam's Sole Power the only European contender.
However, Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner Mongolian Saturday does feature for America along with third home Green Mask in a race that is dominated by locally trained runners.
