Racing: Lear Spear warms up for Hong Kong contest

LEAR SPEAR cantered at Sha Tin yesterday in preparation for the Hong Kong International Cup a week tomorrow. The David Elsworth-trained four-year-old, who arrived in the Far East on Monday, stretched his legs over six furlongs in company with Eric Alston's Sprint hope, Tedburrow, and the German cup challenger Tiger Hill.

Elsworth travels to Hong Kong next week, but his travelling head lad, Peter Maughan, said: "Lear Spear has never travelled this far before but he didn't turn a hair on the journey and I am very happy with the way he is taking everything."

Russell Price was yesterday reported none the worse for his bad fall at Wolverhampton on Wednesday. The jockey fell from Mike's Double when his mount clipped the heels of a rival. Having been knocked unconscous for more than two minutes, he was stood down for the statutory period of 21 days.

But Price, who was discharged later the same day from Newcross Hospital after a precautionary X-ray examination revealed no broken bones, had nothing worse yesterday than "a bit of a headache".

Richard Harrison, the rider's agent, said: "It's disappointing as he needed just two more winners to match his best of 27, and last year he had seven in December. The lad's worked really hard this year and is really disappointed, but at least there's nothing broken.''

Two jump jockeys, Brian Harding and Liam Cooper, missed their rides at Market Rasen yesterday after escaping injury in a car crash earlier in the day.