Racing: Sha Tin headache

A horse whisperer with a psychiatric background could be more useful than a form guide in assessing chances at the Hong Kong International race meeting at Sha Tin tonight.

On a day when Australia can clean up a large part of the $HK56 million ($10.27 million) - as long as it gets some "local" help - the chances in two of the four international races are confused by a pair of talented but erratic horses.

Rakti, a five-year-old English stallion whose antics since arriving in Hong Kong have led to his being branded a "lunatic" by local trainers, is the favourite for the $HK18m Hong Kong Cup, the richest 2000m turf race in the world.

And in the world's richest 1600m race, the $HK14m Hong Kong Mile, the Irish galloper Antonius Pius could be among the bets of the day.

Rakti, despite being a barrier rogue and proving so erratic in trackwork that he couldn't be allowed out to gallop for much of the past week, still holds favouritism for the Cup at 9-2.

He finished second in this race last year to Falbrav and tonight is opposed by a much weaker field that includes Australia's 2003 Cox Plate winner Fields Of Omagh.

Antonius Pius is prominent in betting in the Mile, largely on the strength of his last-start second in the Breeder's Cup Mile in the United States.

What the form guide doesn't show is that he had that race in his keeping before veering sharply left in the straight.

Earlier this year he did the same thing in the French 2000 Guineas, only that time he ran to the right when well clear and hit the running rail.

While the official Australian representation is confined to Fields Of Omagh in the Cup and Yell in the $HK10m Hong Kong Sprint, unofficially there are more than 20 Australians, in one form or another, doing battle.

Australian-bred horses dominate Hong Kong racing, the most notable being the unbeaten champion sprinter Silent Witness.

Australian trainers, chiefly John Size and David Hayes, are among the top bracket here, likewise jockeys Brett Prebble, Dwayne Dunn, Craig Williams and the "almost Aussie", expatriate New Zealander Shane Dye.

Silent Witness, a son of El Moxie who initially went to David Hall's Flemington stable before being sold to his current Hong Kong owner, has won all of his 12 starts and is regarded as the world's best sprinter.

He finished his preparation with a 400m dash on Thursday which he completed in an amazing 21.3 seconds from a standing start.

Yell, Australia's champion sprinter of last season, goes up against Silent Witness and although trainer John Hawkes admits to being totally in the dark about his prospects, he knows his horse is fit and ready.

"How he'll go I have no idea," Hawkes said. "I just know everything has gone perfectly and if he doesn't run well I won't have an excuse."

Fields Of Omagh has also had a trouble-free preparation, but he ran poorly here last year after finishing last in the Japan Cup.

He has since finished second in this year's Cox Plate and trainer Tony McEvoy has kept him fresh.

Other strong Australian challenges come in the Hong Kong Mile with Grand Zulu, the winner of this year's Group One BMW at Rosehill, and Ain't Here who was third to Helenus in the 2002 Victoria Derby and is up against Rakti in the Cup.

Now trained by David Hayes, Ain't Here has been the strongest tip at the track this week and is an $11 chance in most markets.