Former Hong Kong star in Cruz control

Reassurance that former Hong Kong star Packing Eagle is progressing as planned ahead of tomorrow’s Lisa Chittick Foxbridge Plate (1200) at Te Rapa has come from one of the respected figures in Hong Kong racing.

Packing Eagle makes his New Zealand debut in the weight-forage Te Rapa feature, having established himself among Hong Kong’s elite gallopers before he was retired from racing there after just 19 starts that yielded six wins.

Trained by Ricky Yiu in Hong Kong and racing there as Packing Pins, his most notable performance was his third placing in the Champions Mile, beaten just 2 3/4 lengths by six-time Group One-winning Japanese champion Maurice. ‘‘He’d just reached his mark against those top-class horses in Hong Kong so rather than thrashing him to lose points down to where he could be competitive in the ratings again, the owners decided to retire him,’’ Trevor Cruz said.

Retirement from racing in Hong Kong hasn’t ended his career though and now in the ownership of Cruz’s mother Angel, the Cambridge conditioner has visions of rejuvenating him as a Group One horse in New Zealand.

‘‘If you translate his Hong Kong form, on a fast track he’d be thereabouts with the good horses here but on these changeable wet tracks, it’s hard to know,’’ said Cruz, who trains with his brother Martin.

‘‘He likes fast ground a lot more. He probably never raced on a track in Hong Kong that was worse than a dead five here so I took him to the Avondale trials in May to see what he’s like in the wet.

‘‘Trudy [Thornton] rode him and was very happy. He did all right and he was able to quicken which was good to see. He’s going to need the run for sure but the main target is really the Tarzino Trophy at Hawke’s Bay.

‘‘Hopefully he can run a good strong race at Te Rapa regardless, but against those good horses on a track wetter than he has raced on before won’t be easy. We are just giving him his chance.’’

Cruz believes Packing Eagle will be at his most potent at sprint trips in New Zealand and is unlikely to test the Waikato Studbred Pins gelding past 1400m any time soon.