Alberto Sanna in hot water as lengthy ban rules him out of International meeting

Alberto Sanna's turbulent Hong Kong career has entered choppy waters again with a lengthy and potentially highly-damaging ban for failing to take all reasonable and permissible measures to achieve the best possible placing in a valuable handicap at Sha Tin.

The 34-year-old Italian rider, who has ridden more than 800 winners worldwide and was champion in Bahrain before moving to Hong Kong for the first time in the 2016-17 season, has shrugged off several significant injury challenges to make a solid start with seven winners this term.

However, his performance aboard the Peter Ho-trained Dances With Dragon at Sha Tin on November 17 raised concern among stewards and an inquiry at Happy Valley on Tuesday ended with him being outed for twelve meetings, starting after Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) day on December 8.

Sent off at 36-1 for the Victoria Park Handicap, Dances With Dragon was gradually switched from the inside to the outer in the home straight and made good headway without being given a hard race to pass the post a close fifth behind Nicconi Express.

The stewards studied various aspects of the ride and ruled that Sanna "failed to shift his horse out to the required extent rounding the home turn and in the home straight."

They also ruled that Sanna "reduced his riding vigour between the 200m until after the 100m, when it was both reasonable and permissible for Dances With Dragon to be fully tested given that there was clear and uninterrupted running."

Watch Dances With Dragon's run here

Sanna, who gained his biggest Hong Kong success when the Caspar Fownes-trained Southern Legend landed the Group 3 Sa Sa Ladies' Purse just three weeks ago, pleaded guilty to the charge and now faces an uncertain future.

Unless he stages a successful appeal, he will be out of action until the second half of January – and his current short-term contract expires on New Year's Eve.

Prince on the move again after Aussie adventure

HKIR preparations always intensify when international challengers start to roll up at Sha Tin and this year's early arrivals were headed by old rivals Prince Of Arran and True Self, who flew in from Australia late on Monday night.

Prince Of Arran got the better of things by a head when the pair fought out a thrilling finish to the Group 3 Geelong Cup last month and, having finished third and second in the last two Melbourne Cups, trainer Charlie Fellowes is overseeing his stable star’s progress from afar.

Prince Of Arran: shipped to Hong Kong after Melbourne gigs

"He galloped on Saturday and were were really happy with how he went," he said. "A post gallop scope was perfect, too. He will have an easy couple of days in Hong Kong before stepping things up and will gallop a couple of times before the big race."

Murphy keen to write another page in Deirdre's diary

Few horses have travelled as far as Deirdre over the last 12 months and, fresh from capturing Sunday's Japan Cup, the globetrotting Japanese mare's rider Oisin Murphy is now setting his sights on a first HKIR success in the Vase.

Deirdre: globetrotting mare is set to run in Hong KongCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

The Nassau Stakes winner will have clocked up around 25,000 Air Miles once she makes the return trip from London to Hong Kong this weekend and Murphy is optimistic that she can run her usual bold race against local hero Exultant and Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck.

"I think she'll stay a mile and a half no problem," he said. "She's by Harbinger and if you watch her previous runs in Hong Kong, they went a good pace and all she did was stay on. If she reproduces her British and Irish form, she goes there with a live chance."

Genius can pass the test on Valley bow

Suspensions are starting to take a toll on the Hong Kong weighing room, with six riders currently out of action and three more set to be on the sidelines in December having deferred their bans.

Champion jockey Zac Purton starts a two-meeting ban this Wednesday, but Joao Moreira returns from a two-match ban of his own at Happy Valley with rides in eight of the nine races as he bids to stretch his lead of three at the top of the table.

Moreira partners a string of in-form horses but he has missed out on one who catches the eye in the concluding Elgin Handicap (2.50).

Meridian Genius has been in fine form in two runs under Moreira at Sha Tin, winning narrowly then going down in another tight finish to subsequent winner Mr Lumieres. This is his first trip to the Valley but he has the speed to handle the turns and stall four is a plus as he links with Chad Schofield for the first time.

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