Fast Network's Dubai dream on hold: why travel uncertainty is clouding Al Quoz Sprint bid

Fast Network proved he is more than just another horse chasing Ka Ying Rising on Sunday – but just as he stamped himself as a genuine G1 Al Quoz Sprint chance, uncertainty in the Middle East has put his Dubai trip in doubt.

The five-year-old finally got his chance to step out of the champion’s slipstream after trainer Dennis Yip Chor-hong swerved the G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup and instead aimed at Sha Tin’s 1200-meter Class 1 Essex Handicap a move shaped by the simple reality that Ka Ying Rising had beaten him at his previous three starts.

The move paid off. There were some anxious moments for punters when Zac Purton was briefly held up nearing the 200-meter mark, but once the gap came for Fast Network the response was instant. Purton asked for one effort, gave him a single crack of the whip and Fast Network burst through, putting the race away with authority.

Purton, Ka Ying Rising’s regular rider, said the race had been run to suit but stressed the performance still carried real merit given the weight and opposition.

“He was aided by a good gate and a race where there was speed,” Purton said. “He likes to roll and he got the speed that helped him carry the weight, but it’s not easy to carry that weight against those horses in that grade, so he did a terrific job. That’s the type of talent he has got.”
 

In normal times, the win would have been a timely launchpad for Dubai, but the situation off the track has become far more serious than any ordinary travel question. Hong Kong Jockey Club officials are weighing whether it is viable for Fast Network to head to the UAE for the G1 Al Quoz Sprint on March 28 after missile and drone attacks, airport disruption and airspace uncertainty threw travel plans across the region into chaos.

That concern is no abstract idea for Hong Kong racing participants. Jockey Karis Teetan, trainer Chris So Wai-yin, members of their families, owners of the sprinter Sing Dragon and other staff were left stranded in Dubai after last weekend’s Super Saturday meeting before getting home earlier this week, underlining why the Jockey Club is treating Fast Network’s case so carefully.

Fast Network would need to depart on March 16 if he were to compete. Yip said he would defer to the Jockey Club’s safety call.

“If I can’t go to Dubai we will stay here and contest the Group 2 Sprint Cup here on April 6, so I guess we will race Ka Ying Rising again,” Yip said. “There have been many flights cancelled, then there is insurance. If there is war, maybe we can’t get insurance.”

HKJC Head of Racing Andrew Harding said the club would complete a formal risk assessment before any decision is made.

“Given the experience we have had with the staff and connections traveling back from Sing Dragon’s run, we have to carry out a full assessment of the risks associated with participating,” Harding said. “Insurance will be a factor, but it is not the main one. Our first and overriding concern is the safety of our staff, licensed personnel and the horse’s connections.”

Yip now has a horse peaking, but one who may next have to face Ka Ying Rising again at Sha Tin.

“We only had him 70 or 80 percent fit today thinking he would go to Dubai, so that was impressive,” Yip said.

For Fast Network, Sunday was meant to be the springboard to Dubai. It still may be. But for now, his next race depends on events far beyond Sha Tin.