Trish Dunell Photography
Reassurance that former Hong Kong star Packing Eagle is progressing as planned ahead of Saturday's Gr.2 Lisa Chittick Foxbridge Plate (1200) at Te Rapa has come from one of the respected figures in Hong Kong racing.
Packing Eagle makes his New Zealand debut in the weight-for-age Te Rapa feature, having established himself among Hong Kong's elite gallopers before he was retired from racing there after just 19 starts that yielded six wins.
Trained by Ricky Yiu in Hong Kong and racing there as Packing Pins, his most notable performance was his third placing in the Gr.1 Champions Mile, beaten just 2 3/4 lengths by six-time Group One-winning Japanese champion Maurice. He also finished ahead of fourth-placed Beauty Only, who went on to win the Gr.1 Hong Kong Mile.
"He'd just reached his mark against those top-class horses in Hong Kong so rather than thrashing him to lose points down to where he could be competitive in the ratings again, the owners decided to retire him," Trevor Cruz said.
Retirement from racing in Hong Kong hasn't ended his career though and now in the ownership of Cruz’s mother Angel, the Cambridge conditioner has visions of rejuvenating him as a Group One horse in New Zealand.
"If you translate his Hong Kong form, on a fast track he'd be thereabouts with the good horses here but on these changeable wet tracks, it's hard to know," said Cruz, who trains with his brother Martin.
"He likes fast ground a lot more. He probably never raced on a track in Hong Kong that was worse than a dead five here so I took him to the Avondale trials in May to see what he's like in the wet.
"Trudy [Thornton] rode him and was very happy. He did all right and he was able to quicken which was good to see. He's going to need the run on Saturday for sure, but the main target is really the first race [Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy] at Hawke's Bay.
"Hopefully he can run a good strong race at Te Rapa regardless, but against those good horses on a track wetter than he has raced on before won't be easy. We are just giving him his chance."
Cruz believes Packing Eagle will be at his most potent at sprint trips in New Zealand and is unlikely to test the Waikato Stud-bred Pins gelding past 1400m any time soon, though he has been encouraged by just how well he has settled into life in the Waikato.
"He spelled here to start with and he probably hadn't seen a paddock for a few years and it's done him a world of good,” he said. “He's such a relaxed horse now and he's enjoying life. He's loving New Zealand. There's less pressure on him here and he's really enjoying the environment."
Cruz is surrounding himself with the right people at the moment as well, with his parents in New Zealand for the Foxbridge Plate and that has meant the opportunity to get his father, leading Hong Kong trainer Derek Cruz, to gallop Packing Eagle in trackwork.
"My father has been riding the horse in work and he clearly likes him a lot. It's been good having the family here and fingers crossed he can run a good race for them." - NZ Racing Desk.