ALL SILENT READY TO RUMBLE

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Both horse and jockey won’t remember much about their previous liaison with life in Hong Kong, but the six-year-old gelding All Silent and his young rider Nick Hall are both returning, in a sense, to previous pastures to have a crack at the ‘big time.’

All Silent was originally due to begin his career in Hong Kong. He was shipped there from Australia to join the stable of John Size, but the son of Belong To Me failed to adapt to the conditions in Hong Kong.

More comfortable back in Australia, the gelding blossomed under the care of trainer Grahame Begg to the degree that he now arrives back in Hong Kong as a genuine contender for Group 1, International honours which he will look to claim as his own when he races in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin on December 13.

All Silent brings plenty to the contest. He has a race record of eight wins from nineteen starts with earnings of over $1.5 million. He is unbeaten in two goes this prep, having won in Group 2 and then Group 1 company, his last win coming via a burst of awesome acceleration - he ran the last 600m in 32.6 seconds - which shattered the hopes of his opposition.

Nick Hall also lived in Hong Kong for a brief time as a youngster, but he admits he ‘can’t really remember much about it.’ Chances are, whatever the final outcome, the experience of competing against the best in a high pressure zone will provide a lasting memory this time around.

Trainer Grahame Begg completes the trifecta of those returning to Hong Kong. For Begg there is no vague recall. His wins with Momopolize in 1995 and 1996 in the Hong Kong International Bowl, the forerunner to the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile, are etched in his memory bank.

"I can't wait to get back," Begg said at the weekend, "obviously I have great memories of Hong Kong. Monopolize is the only horse I've campaigned overseas until now, so hopefully All Silent can maintain the unbeaten record."

All Silent has landed safely in Hong Kong. The count-down is on!

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