DUAL Hong Kong Cup winner California Memory is in serious doubt for the Longines Hong Kong International Races on December 8 and trainer Tony Cruz has called on the Jockey Club to undertake an investigation into the hardness of the tracks.

ALAN AITKEN reports in the SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST that Cruz reported his other international contenders Blazing Speed and Pure Champion also emerged from Sunday's meeting with health and fitness issues, but that California Memory, winner of the past two editions of Hong Kong's richest race, "was the worst of them".

"Blazing Speed scoped with mucus but both Pure Champion and California Memory have sore joints," Cruz said. "We'll do an ultrasound on his right front fetlock tomorrow, and nothing is definite until we see those results but I think there's a real chance California Memory will have to miss the internationals. He's getting older and his problem joints are getting worse and this track is so hard at the moment."

Cruz said the Jockey Club needs to do a thorough investigation of the Sha Tin track issue, which has flared up now with the cooler weather.

"This time of year, the humidity goes out of the air, everything gets drier - even the greens where I play golf at Fanling are much quicker - and there's just no moisture and no give in the track at all," Cruz said. "I've never had so many horses coming back with joint problems and with chips in their knees. Pure Champion never had a problem before this and my other horse, Beauty Touch, felt the ground so badly last week at Happy Valley he couldn't perform at all. It's some thing the club really needs to look into. "

 

STORY SOURCE: SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST - NEWS LIMITED