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HONG KONG - Horses and fish don't have a lot in common but that hasn't stopped Miss Andretti's trainer Lee Freedman drawing parallels between his star mare and the kings of the ocean.
Freedman is in Hong Kong overseeing Miss Andretti's final preparations for Sunday's group one Sprint (1200m) at Sha Tin where she will take on the local stars Sacred Kingdom and Absolute Champion.
While Freedman has plenty of respect for the opposition, he has no doubt his mare's will to win will carry her a long way.
Freedman compared Miss Andretti's determination to get the upper hand in a finish to that of a shark wrestling with its prey.
"When she gets to the 400 metres within striking distance of the leaders, she just wins," Freedman told the South China Morning Post.
"She's so tenacious, the only thing I can liken her to is a shark.
"She senses victory, she grabs hold of it and simply refuses to let it go."
Miss Andretti rounded out her preparations for Sunday with a gallop on the course proper at Sha Tin yesterday.
The six-year-old has already proved herself on the international stage with her victory in the group two King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.
She is the runaway winner of this year's Global Sprint Challenge, a series fellow Australian Takeover Target won last year.
She was undefeated at her two runs in Melbourne during the spring, most recently when she outmuscled Gold Edition in the Age Classic at Flemington on November 10 and Freedman has freshened her up since.
"Even though she won it by three-quarters of a length and a bit cosily at the finish, you never underestimate what a race like that takes out of them," Freedman said. "I've given her plenty of time to recover and now she looks really bright and well.
"The weather here is perfect at this time of the year and she is thriving. In fact, she's eight kilos heavier than she was at Ascot in June. That tells you how well she is."
The multiple group one winner, who boasts an impressive strike rate of 19 wins from 28 starts, was last week crowned Australian Horse of the Year and was yesterday the $2.10 favourite for the Hong Kong Sprint with TAB Sportsbet. Sacred Kingdom was second elect at $2.50.
- AAP
