Laws Of Indices touched down in Hong Kong on Tuesday morning, the first of the expected 24 overseas competitors to arrive in the city for the Hong Kong International Races on December 11.

The Australian challenger is also the first overseas runner for his trainer, Annabel Neasham, and the Sydney-based Englishwoman is scheduled to fly into Chek Lap Kok airport on Thursday of next week to oversee final preparations for the four-year-old’s G1 Hong Kong Mile assault.  

Getting acquainted! Laws Of Indices is taking it all in at Sha Tin ahead of his @LONGINES Hong Kong Mile tilt… 👀

📸 @ANeashamRacing @Racing | #HKIR | #HKracing pic.twitter.com/HTVtcd5bMv

— HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) November 29, 2022

In the meantime, Liz Laycock, Laws Of Indices’ regular work rider, is taking care of the colt, just as she did during the spring carnival in Melbourne when a three-race campaign there included second place in the G1 Toorak Handicap.

“Early reports are that he’s travelled well to Hong Kong,” Neasham’s racing manager Rob Archibald told Asian Racing Report. “His temperature is good and he’s been eating up, which is obviously encouraging. We’ll keep an eye on him over the next 24 to 48 hours and that will tell us a little bit more but we’re certainly happy with the way he travelled: he was very bright when he got off the plane and Liz said that he’s settled in well.”

Sydney champion James McDonald was on board in the Toorak and will take the reins again at Sha Tin.

“James flies up on Monday and hopefully he’s going to have a sit on him on the Tuesday,” Archibald continued.

“We have a huge amount of respect for the horses in the race and Golden Sixty is arguably one of the best horses in the world, but we have confidence in our horse. He’s had a very good preparation and he’s been running well against the best horses in Australia.

“We’re under no illusions that we’re going to just go there and beat a horse like Golden Sixty but we are confident that he will run well. It’s Laws Of Indices’ first time at the track and there’s the travel to factor in but If he’s at his best he can be competitive, and if he gets a bit of luck in the run, I think he’ll make a very good account of himself.”

Eight horses from Japan’s western training centre at Ritto are due to arrive in Hong Kong out of Osaka on Wednesday (November 30) night: Panthalassa, Danon The Kid, Danon Scorpion, Gendarme, Jack D’Or, Meikei Yell, Lei Papale and Resistencia.

Meanwhile, the Miho-based Japanese runners are due to land from Tokyo late on Saturday night: Geoglyph, Glory Vase, Naran Huleg, Salios, Schnell Meister and Win Marilyn.

Singapore’s ‘mighty mouse’ Lim’s Kosciuszko is scheduled to arrive Thursday morning accompanied by a companion horse, while Germany’s Mendocino and the French pair Botanik and Bubble Gift are due shortly after 6am on Friday.

Last to arrive, as is often the case with Ballydoyle-based runners, will be the Aidan O’Brien-trained quartet from Ireland: Broome, Stone Age, Order Of Australia and Bolshoi Ballet. They are scheduled to land in the early hours of Sunday. 

One horse that won’t be landing Saturday night on her scheduled flight is the top class mare Saffron Beach, who was sold at Tattersalls on Tuesday to Prince Faisal bin Khalid bin Abdulaziz’s Najd Stud for 3.6 million guineas (US$4.5 million). She will instead be aimed at the Saudi Cup in February, which means there will not be a British-trained horse at this year’s Hong Kong International Races.

Lim’s Kosciuszko: The Singaporean ‘mighty mouse’ that might just muscle his way to a Hong Kong Sprint upset