PRESVIS FLIES IN AND FLIES HOME

I've noted before that PRESVIS (41) can produce the most extraordinary burst of finishing speed. He did so once more when taking the QEII Cup at Sha Tin, coming from stone last to simply mow then all down and clock a near impossible 21.9 seconds for the last quarter mile.

The fastest final quarter mile I know of is the 21.7 seconds clocked by Macoumba in the 1995 Prix Imprudence. That was in a six and a half furlong race run on fast ground. Presvis ran his final two furlongs in a ten furlong race run on yielding going.

Presvis must have a big chance of taking his next objective, the Singapore Airlines Cup at Kranji. After that he will apparently be rested and brought back with the Hong Kong Cup as his big objective. This is the race that the mighty Falbrav won for Luca Cumani back in 2003. In Presvis it looks like Cumani finally has a horse worthy of mentioning in the same breath as that extraordinarily successful globetrotter.

It's tempting to say that it's a shame Presvis is not being aimed at a European race so that we could get a chance to see him run locally. However, as I see it, the real shame is the dreadful lack of coverage given to big international races like the QEII Cup.

In other sports it is the big international events which attract the most coverage and draw in new fans. But horse racing continues to be largely promoted on a regional basis. No wonder it fails to generate the same level of interest as other sports. Imagine if media coverage of football virtually ignored the World Cup and focused on local matches. The game would shrink to having only minority appeal, just like racing has.