Michael Owen has refused to go the easy route with his star sprinter Flaming Rib.
He could have gone 15 miles up the road to his local Chester, but instead, Owen is sending Flaming Rib 6000 miles east to Hong Kong.
Michael Owen owns Manor House Stables
Flaming Rib blazes away in last year’s Doncaster Stakes
Owen owns Manor House Stables, the base from which Hugo Palmer operates, and Flaming Rib is one of the team’s leading horses.
He was second at Royal Ascot last June, finding just Perfect Power too strong in the Commonwealth Cup.
He was a winner in Doha on his 2023 return, before an excusable run in Meydan last time, and Owen has plotted another audacious raid with him.
Sha Tin is one of Hong Kong’s premier tracks and millions are up for grabs on Sunday in three Group 1 races.
One of those is the Chairman’s Sprint, where Flaming Rib will compete for a share of the £2million prize pool.
Owen told Sporting Life: “It would have been easy to go to our local track Chester for the race he won last year but we were always hoping to get an invite from Hong Kong.
“We’ve decided to take the brave man’s route because having a good horse and sending him around the world for amazing prize money is the thing that excites us all.”
Last year’s race was over in just 68 seconds and Owen admits it’ll be difficult to hold back the emotion come Sunday.
He added: “I promise you I get goosebumps every morning when I drive into Manor House Stables.
“I know I’m biased as it’s my baby but I’ve not really seen a facility like it for combining brilliant facilities with a great family atmosphere and space to host friends and clients.”
Flaming Rib will be ridden by Tom Marquand, who has a fine record outside of Britain.
He has won several Group 1 races in Australia and will hope to tick off Hong Kong in this fleeting visit.
Marquand will be riding in Ireland the next day, before heading to Nottingham on Tuesday.
