Sergio Garcia tours famous Hong Kong horse racing trainer Tony Cruz’s stables and meets Pakistan Star

The 2017 Masters champion is right at home among some of the territory’s best horses ahead of the Hong Kong Open

Honma Hong Kong Open

Sam Agars

Published: 6:05pm, 21 Nov 2018

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The world of golf and racing collided at Sha Tin on Wednesday morning, with star golfer Sergio Garcia touring the stables of top Hong Kong trainer Tony Cruz.

Cruz, an avid golfer and a big fan of Garcia, introduced the Spaniard to a host of his best horses, including the enigmatic Pakistan Star, 2017 Longines Hong Kong Cup winner Time Warp and promising four-year-old stayer Exultant.

“This horse went viral because he stopped in a race, he’s the only horse to stop in a race and come back and win a Group One,” Cruz told Garcia, referring to last year’s infamous “Pakistan Stop” incident where the horse pulled up mid-race.

Cruz congratulated Garcia on his 2017 Masters victory and gifted him a whip, with Garcia in awe of the “beautiful” animals.

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Garcia is one of the star attractions at this year’s Honma Hong Kong Open, which begins at the Hong Kong Golf Club at Fanling on Thursday.

Garcia will play alongside the likes of Patrick Reed and Tommy Fleetwood and is looking to improve on his 19th-placed finish last year.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Meeting of the masters

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