Hong Kong form analyst James Ty was less-than-complimentary about Australia’s 2009 representatives.

“Quite frankly Australia’s performance at the 2009 International meeting was pathetic and showed an extreme lack of respect," he said.

“John O’Shea brought a horse (Racing To Win) across to arguably the best race in the world who is seven years old with a form line that read fourth, 10th and 9th. If he wanted a holiday, that’s fine, but there are plenty of holiday destinations around the world.

“And the trainers in the sprint races were just as bad. Apache Cat couldn’t beat an inferior field last year and was not going nearly as well this year, while Scenic Blast had beaten just three runners home his past two starts ... clearly all was not well."

The last Australian-trained runner to win in Hong Kong was Falvelon who won the sprint race in 2000 and 2001.

Click here to read the full article by Nick Quinn.