Irridescence will head to French trainer John Hammond following the Hong Kong race, where she is expected to campaign during the fall, prior to a return invasion of Dubai and another tilt in the Duty Free in 2007.
Team Valor's Irridescence, who was withdrawn from the recent Dubai Duty Free (UAE-I) after a paddock accident at Nad al Sheba March 25, has recovered from the incident and will make her next start on April 23 in Hong Kong.Trainer Mike de Kock has arranged to have the South African filly flown from the United Arab Emirates to Hong Kong April 13, where 10 days later she will line up for the Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II (HK-I). The 10-furlong grass race offers approximately $1.8-million in U. S. funds."The swelling has completely gone from her stifle area and she is not sensitive to the touch anymore," de Kock said. "The scabs where she cut herself are almost off, too." The champion filly at 3 last season in her native country became riled up in the walking ring prior to the Duty Free and began to buck after jockey Weichong Marwing was given a leg up. She landed on top of a metal protrusion atop the paddock railing. Marwing, who will pilot the filly in Hong Kong where he is currently doing a three-month stint, hopped off the daughter of Caesour (by Nureyev) and helped push the filly backward so that she could extricate herself from the railing. She was a vet scratch moments later. In a lone outing this season, Irridescence earned a 118 Timeform rating when proving a handy winner of the Listed Balanchine Stakes at Nad al Sheba over French Group winner Satwa Queen.
