Docklands may not have won since Royal Ascot in June, but competing against elite opposition across the UK, France and Japan is no simple assignment.
Now, with Hong Kong added to his international campaign, a breakthrough performance in Sunday’s Group 1 Hong Kong Mile (1600m) at Sha Tin could deliver trainer Harry Eustace and globetrotting rider Tom Marquand one of the most significant highlights of their careers.
The five-year-old entire announced himself at the highest level when taking out the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes (1609m) on Royal Ascot’s opening day, producing a Racing and Sports peak rating of 122.
He continued to race with distinction afterward, finishing a strong fifth in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes (1609m) at Goodwood, before producing competitive efforts in elite company at Deauville and Ascot. His latest outing saw him finish fifth in the Mile Championship (1600m) in Japan after settling too far back to threaten.
Sha Tin’s mile could be the perfect setup for a return to peak form, although local stars Voyage Bubble and My Wish pose a stern test. Still, Eustace is pleased with how Docklands has handled his latest international assignment.
“The Japanese experience was fantastic but hard,” Eustace said.
“The competition and the travelling for him was hard and we weren’t helped by drawing 16 of 18. I was delighted with the run and he has really bounced out of it well. He looked super this morning and I think we’ll run a solid race on Sunday.
“He is mentally tough and the first time you travel horses you never know how they will handle it. He travelled ok last year but he has definitely taken it better this year.”
Docklands will be aiming to improve on his fifth-place finish in the 2024 Hong Kong Mile, while Tom Marquand — a world-class international rider — also hopes to lift his strike-rate at Hong Kong’s premier track. In 35 rides at Sha Tin, Marquand has posted just a single victory, recorded in February 2025.
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