NEWS ROUND-UP:THE JIM Bolger-Kevin Manning team will attempt to bring a remarkably successful 2008 to a resounding conclusion when Lush Lashes runs in Sunday week's Hong Kong Cup at the Sha Tin track.
The triple Group One-winning daughter of Galileo will fly the Irish flag at the prestigious International meeting and will also try to follow in some illustrious footsteps.
Alexander Goldrun memorably landed the mile-and-a-quarter cup for Bolger and Manning in 2004 and Lush Lashes has left for Hong Kong having also previously run in the Prix de l'Opera at the Arc meeting in Longchamp.
Lush Lashes finished runner-up in Paris in October but Manning reported yesterday: "She is in good form and has been working well so everything looks right at this stage."
Her Group One haul of the Coronation Stakes, the Yorkshire Oaks and the Matron Stakes has contributed hugely to a benchmark year for Manning and Bolger whose Derby winner New Approach also won three times at the top level.
Lush Lashes is currently a 4 to 1 third favourite for the cup in ante-post betting behind the top Hong Kong horse Viva Pataca and the ex-Aidan O'Brien-trained Eagle Mountain who now runs for South African Mike De Kock.
:quality(70)/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/irishtimes/5edb3a01-3854-414a-a4d1-6fd4b3f3ce92.png)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)