the mad mafoo
22-03-2002, 16:32
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Prawn yard: Jeune King Prawn joins Fairy King Prawn and Halo King Prawn in Ivan Allan's stable. SCMP photo
Owner Philip Lau Sak-hong has followed the Fairy King Prawn path and transferred Jeune King Prawn to Ivan Allan following the worst run of the gelding's brief career in last Sunday's Hong Kong Derby.
"If Ivan had not been able to take the horse I would still have considered looking for another trainer, but I wanted Ivan to take him," Lau explained yesterday. "It makes more sense to have him where I already have two horses.
"It is easier to deal with one trainer, and also it has been an embarrassment some times when we found we were both chasing the same jockey to ride different horses in the same race. There have been times when I have wanted Weichong Marwing to ride Jeune King Prawn in races and found he was already committed to a ride for Ivan."
Jeune King Prawn's former trainer, Ricky Yiu Poon-fie had also trained Lau's Fairy King Prawn in his early career, winning the 1999 Hong Kong Sprint on International Day with him before Allan took the horse over in his four-year-old year.
The gelding went on to become Hong Kong's first international winner in the Group One Yasuda Kinen in Tokyo, a dual Horse Of The Year winner and was named in the international classifications as the world's top-rated sprinter last year.
Allan now has a full house of Lau's "Prawns", with Jeune King Prawn joining his elite stablemate Fairy King Prawn and the highly promising three-year-old Halo King Prawn.
Allan said yesterday he sympathised with Yiu, but that the decision was not of his making. "Philip sent me a fax, saying that he had decided to move Jeune King Prawn and wanted to give me the first refusal because he felt it made more sense to have his horses all in the one stable.
"I did not try to take the horse from Ricky Yiu. However, Philip said that even if I didn't take Jeune King Prawn, he would still move the horse. If the choice was me or someone else other than Ricky, well, frankly I didn't want another trainer to have him running against me.
"I have only looked over the fence at Jeune King Prawn, so I don't yet know everything about him. I believe he has some problems in his hind legs but he is obviously a very talented horse, too."
Jeune King Prawn's impressive record for Yiu read nine starts for six wins, two thirds and fifth prior to the Derby meeting but he failed to flatter over the 2000m trip, finishing 13th.
Lau said yesterday that his gelding had emerged from the Derby unhurt but he was concerned at the effect of such a drubbing on the horse's attitude.
"Jeune King Prawn is physically okay after Sunday's race, but mentally he is not good," said Lau. "He ran such a poor race, and that will take some time to wash out of his head. He is such a good racehorse and he finished second last. This is the only time in his career that he has not earned prize-money."
Lau said Allan had not detailed to him any specific programme for the horse yet but believed Jeune King Prawn's most likely initial target for his new trainer would be the Group One Champions Mile on Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup day at Sha Tin on April 21.
Prawn yard: Jeune King Prawn joins Fairy King Prawn and Halo King Prawn in Ivan Allan's stable. SCMP photo
Owner Philip Lau Sak-hong has followed the Fairy King Prawn path and transferred Jeune King Prawn to Ivan Allan following the worst run of the gelding's brief career in last Sunday's Hong Kong Derby.
"If Ivan had not been able to take the horse I would still have considered looking for another trainer, but I wanted Ivan to take him," Lau explained yesterday. "It makes more sense to have him where I already have two horses.
"It is easier to deal with one trainer, and also it has been an embarrassment some times when we found we were both chasing the same jockey to ride different horses in the same race. There have been times when I have wanted Weichong Marwing to ride Jeune King Prawn in races and found he was already committed to a ride for Ivan."
Jeune King Prawn's former trainer, Ricky Yiu Poon-fie had also trained Lau's Fairy King Prawn in his early career, winning the 1999 Hong Kong Sprint on International Day with him before Allan took the horse over in his four-year-old year.
The gelding went on to become Hong Kong's first international winner in the Group One Yasuda Kinen in Tokyo, a dual Horse Of The Year winner and was named in the international classifications as the world's top-rated sprinter last year.
Allan now has a full house of Lau's "Prawns", with Jeune King Prawn joining his elite stablemate Fairy King Prawn and the highly promising three-year-old Halo King Prawn.
Allan said yesterday he sympathised with Yiu, but that the decision was not of his making. "Philip sent me a fax, saying that he had decided to move Jeune King Prawn and wanted to give me the first refusal because he felt it made more sense to have his horses all in the one stable.
"I did not try to take the horse from Ricky Yiu. However, Philip said that even if I didn't take Jeune King Prawn, he would still move the horse. If the choice was me or someone else other than Ricky, well, frankly I didn't want another trainer to have him running against me.
"I have only looked over the fence at Jeune King Prawn, so I don't yet know everything about him. I believe he has some problems in his hind legs but he is obviously a very talented horse, too."
Jeune King Prawn's impressive record for Yiu read nine starts for six wins, two thirds and fifth prior to the Derby meeting but he failed to flatter over the 2000m trip, finishing 13th.
Lau said yesterday that his gelding had emerged from the Derby unhurt but he was concerned at the effect of such a drubbing on the horse's attitude.
"Jeune King Prawn is physically okay after Sunday's race, but mentally he is not good," said Lau. "He ran such a poor race, and that will take some time to wash out of his head. He is such a good racehorse and he finished second last. This is the only time in his career that he has not earned prize-money."
Lau said Allan had not detailed to him any specific programme for the horse yet but believed Jeune King Prawn's most likely initial target for his new trainer would be the Group One Champions Mile on Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup day at Sha Tin on April 21.