High Street Racing twin standardbearers, Bleu Astral and Grey Sensation, are headed to Cagnes-sur-Mer for the winter meeting at the Hippodrome de la Cote d’Azur, where the syndicate’s brand new yellow and green colors will be unveiled on Saturday.
The occasion will be the Prix du Val Carei, a 1600-meter (one-mile) fibresand handicap worth 19,000 euros in which Grey Sensation will fly the High Street flag. A fast closing third in his last start in a 1900-meter (one-mile, 1-1/2-furlong) fibresand handicap at Deauville on Dec. 11, the Aussie Rules 4-year-old has maintained his form over the Maisons-Laffitte gallops since then and a good effort is expected in his Cagnes debut.
Both Grey Sensation and Bleu Astral will be loaded into the van for the 945-kilometer (547-mile) trip south on Thursday afternoon along with five other Gina Rarick trainees. The team is scheduled to arrive at Cagnes between 6 and 7 a.m. on Friday.
“Both horses are training well,” Gina reports. As for Bleu Astral, “His objectives are a claiming race on Saturday, Jan. 23 and a conditions race on Monday, Feb. 22. He’ll have another one in between those two somewhere.”
Both horses worked on the straight gallop Saturday morning, and both showed they were ready to race. “They’ll get one more work before getting on the truck as long as the weather leaves the track in good shape. If not, they’ll shipp off this work and stretch their legs down south.”