Peslier Reunites With Classa Supreme In Cathay Pacific IJC 2007

It was a case of deja-vu at Monday´s allocations for the Cathay Pacific International Jockeys´ Championship (CXIJC) races as defending champion Olivier Peslier drew Classa Supreme in the third and final leg to take place at Happy Valley this Wednesday evening.

Classa Supreme was pivotal in Peslier´s second CXIJC success last year. The French ace drew plaudits from the Happy Valley grandstands after he partnered the same horse to victory last year despite his mount persistently hanging out and shifting wider.

Low draws are, of course, hugely significant at Happy Valley and local jockey Howard Cheng will be looking forward to his rides as he drew the rail in the second and third legs aboard Elephant Dance and Fantuzzi respectively.

Elsewhere, Eclipse Award winning jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson, the first female rider to take part in the Championship, will exit gates 4, 5 and 10 in her quest to achieve another landmark in the sport.

Seven-times champion Hong Kong rider Douglas Whyte, meanwhile, will probably have been less than delighted to have drawn nothing lower than barrier 9 in any of the three legs.

Hong Kong Jockey Club Chairman, Mr John C C Chan; Chief Executive Officer, Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges; and Executive Director, Racing, Mr William A Nader presided over the barrier allocations

'This event fits in nicely with the week´s theme of world class racing,' Mr Nader said.

'We have the top horses on Sunday and Wednesday´s event will showcase some of the world´s best riders. It brings fun and entertainment into the equation and there is the added interest of the different riding styles.'