War Artist waits for invite.

WAR ARTIST is being trained for the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin on December 13 with a racecourse gallopimminent and connections hoping that he will be invited to join the English raiding party.

The six-year-old has found his form with a vengeance since suffering from colic at the start of the year and took the Group 2 Goldene Peitsche at Baden-Baden in August by a length and a half from Smooth Operator and followed up with a short neck defeat of Stern Opinion in the Group 3 Prix du Petit Couvert at Longchamp the following month.

War Artist ran another cracker in the Prix de L'Abbaye when beaten only a neck and half a length by Total Gallery and Fleeting Spirit, and will depart on December 4 if given the green light by the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Trainer James Eustace said: "War Artist is very well and we are training with the Hong Kong Sprint in mind. At the moment he is third in line to go behind Borderlescott and Total Gallery and it depends on what is going on. I don't really understand the system but there are some trials for the Hong Kong horses this weekend and we are likely to know better afterwards.

"Olivier Peslier knows Hong Kong well and rode Doctor Dino to win at the meeting last year and could ride if available and Andreas Suborics, who rode him to win at Baden-Baden also know the course well and would be the alternative.

"Hopefully we will be able to give him a racecourse gallop beforehand but I am happy with how his preparation is going."

Another horse that travels plenty

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Conduit set for more travel in Japan Cup bid


CONDUIT has been given the go-ahead to bid to provide Sir Michael Stoute with a third success in the Japan Cup in Tokyo on November 29 and will be shipped out to Japan on Wednesday.

The four-year-old only arrived back from his second successive victory in the Breeders' Cup Turf early on Tuesday morning but his condition, since his return, has given connections plenty of encouragement that he will be ready for the heat of battle again near the end of this month.

Conduit was bought by Shigeyuki Okada's Big Red Farm prior to his Breeders' Cup victory and will stand as a stallion there after the $5.65m contest.

The Dalakhani colt is set to be joined by another British challenger, Richard Hannon's Scintillo, in the line-up for the 1m4f contest.

Jane George, of the International Racing Bureau, said "At the moment it's all systems go as regards Conduit for the Japan Cup. We also have had a last minute entry in the shape of Scintillo from Richard Hannon and both horses are due to ship next Wednesday."

Stoute's Spanish Moon, who finished a close fourth to stablemate Conduit in the Breeders' Cup Turf at Santa Anita last weekend, is set to have his next start in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Vase at Sha Tin on December 13.

The five-year-old is currently banned from racing in Britain but has made the most of his exile by winning two Group races in France this summer, prior to his Breeders' Cup effort.

Sir Michael Stoute also hopes to be represented in Hong Kong by the improving Confront, who will have his first start in Grade 1 company in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile.

Stoute has won both races before,the Vase in 2000 with Daliapour and the Mile with Soviet Line back in 1994.