Apache Cat goes on warpath

By Stuart Teather
CHAMPION sprinter Apache Cat may not have won the Winterbottom Stakes on Saturday, but the Cranbourne-trained horse showed enough to secure a berth in the Hong Kong International Sprint.
Trained by Cranbourne’s Greg Eurell, Apache Cat went to the Winterbottom looking to claim the title as Australia’s best sprinter.
Standing in the way was his arch-nemesis, veteran sprinter Takeover Target.
It was only the second time the two horses had met and the pair put on the race of a lifetime.
From the outset it was clear the result would be decided between the two stars and with 200 metres left in the race, Takeover Target had opened up a healthy lead.
But The Cat was still in the hunt and jockey Corey Brown unleashed him in pursuit, shortening the margin with every stride.
In the dying metres the two horses ran neck-and-neck; Apache Cat’s striking white face edging forward around the outside.
As they crossed the line, Takeover Target’s head bobbed forward, giving the veteran sprinter the race by a nose.
Despite the loss, it was a change of fortunes for Apache Cat after he put in a disappointing show at his most recent race, the Patinack Farm Stakes at Flemington.
There he slumped to eighth, beaten by horses well below his class.
But with his form reversal, he showed enough for Eurell to run him at Hong Kong’s Sha Tin racetrack in the Group One sprint on Sunday week.
The $2.4 million Hong Kong International Sprint is the final leg in the Global Sprint Challenge and is expected to attract some of the world’s best sprinters.
Last year’s winner, Sacred Kingdom, will be a notable absentee, with trainer Ricky Yiu citing a lack of fitness.