All Out For Six wins the Big Cap (Picture: Wayne Marks)
The South African-bred One World gelding All Out For Six had his fourth start in Hong Kong at Happy Valley on Wednesday, but could only manage a 3,50 length sixth in the Class 3 event over 1200m.
He has had two fifths and two sixth places to date on the island.
However, only one of the runs was over his preferred distance of 1400m and the other three have been over 1200m.
His three wins in South Africa were all over 1400m, including in the lucrative R5 million Big Cap, and the best run of his four runs in Hong Kong has duly been over 1400m.
He finished 1,50 lengths back in that race, his second outing on the island after carving out a big lead from the widest draw of all, then being swamped, but then fighting back in eyecatching style.
From that run it would seem the drop back to 1200m was the wrong move.
However, his championship-chasing trainer Mark Newnham might just be keeping him ticking over while waiting for the right race over 1400m for him.
I the meantime his merit rating has dropped two points from 80 to 78 and might drop again after today’s run.
By the time Newnham finds that right race the Drakenstein Stud-bred four-year-old One World gelding might be handily weighted.
Every win will count for Newnham in the tight battle for the championship, in which he currently lies in third place, two off the pace.
So watch for All Out For Six when he is reintroduced over 1400m or even 1600m, a distance he has only tried twice for a 1,75 length second to One Stripe in the Punters Cup and an 8,45 length sixth to One Stripe in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas.
