Ouija Board Third In Hong Kong

Ouija Board came with a rattling late run but could only finish third behind Irridescence in the Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Sha Tin in Hong Kong.

Sent off the 5-2 favourite, Ed Dunlop's mare had it all to do as they turned for home from off a crawling pace.

But once Frankie Dettori pressed the button, his partner duly obliged with a scorching finish from wide of the track.

However, Dettori was left with too much to do to collar the front-running Irridescence, trained by Mike De Kock and ridden by Weichong Marwing, who landed the Group One contest at odds of 5-1.

Best Gift (12-1) finished a game runner-up, while the David Elsworth-trained Norse Dancer was never sighted and trailed home last.

Dunlop's fears about a lack of pace in the 10-furlong contest were confirmed as Dettori was forced to sit and suffer well adrift of the principals in the early exchanges.

Indeed, while De Kock's mare and Best Gift fought it out at the head of affairs from the outset, Ouija Board was fourth-last at the half-way stage.

Dettori, who replaced Kieren Fallon aboard the four-time Group-One winner, got a real tune from his mount thereafter, however, after switching his partner wide when short of room.

And although the Lord Derby-owned five-year-old flew in the dying strides, he could not catch Irridescence, who made all in determined fashion to score by a head from runner-up Best Gift, with Ouija Board the same distance further in arrears.

? PA Sport