Hong Kong Cup option open for Facteur Cheval

Facteur Cheval is under consideration for a tilt at the Hong Kong Cup after finishing best of the rest behind Charyn in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Saturday.

Runner-up to fellow French raider Big Rock on Champions Day last season, the five-year-old returned to Ascot off the back of another fine campaign which featured a Group One breakthrough in the Dubai Turf at Meydan and third place in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.

While no match for Roger Varian’s star miler, Facteur Cheval ran another fine race to pick up the silver medal in Berkshire and trainer Jerome Reynier was proud of his performance.

“He arrived back in the south of France on Monday and I’m very happy with him,” he said.

“He’s so consistent at the highest level and he deserves to win a race like that. Maybe next year he’ll back for the Lockinge, Queen Anne, Sussex or Queen Elizabeth and he’ll be able to win one of them.”

Prior to a likely return to Britain next season, Facteur Cheval could be set a couple of foreign assignments, with a trip to Hong Kong potentially preceding another Dubai mission.

Reynier added: “He’s been entered in Hong Kong, so let’s see how he feels. He could arrive early in Dubai to run at the Carnival as well, so we’ll see.

“Hong Kong is a very special place for horses mentally, but he’s getting more and more mature and maybe he will be able to cope with this long journey.

“If he does go to Hong Kong, he will be running over a mile and a quarter in the Hong Kong Cup as it’s a flat course and I think he would be better suited by 2,000 metres.”

More immediately Reynier is set to catch a flight to Australia, with his unbeaten three-year-old Lazzat having crossed the globe to contest the Golden Eagle on November 2.

He said: “He’s travelled really well and is in very good shape, so it will be a very interesting gamble to try him against the best horses over there and the Japanese filly (Ascoli Piceno), who is the favourite on paper.

“It will be an interesting race and I’m looking forward to going – I can’t miss that!”