A couple of high-profile unbeaten horses have emerged on the international racing scene in the past year or so, quickly developing almost superstar status among racing fans worldwide. One is Australian sprinter Black Caviar, whom we were able to watch on our Hong Kong simulcast last Saturday as she extended her winning streak to 15 in the G2 Schweppes Stakes at Moonee Valley, one of the Cox Plate supporting races. This talented mare will try make it 16 in a row when she tackles the G1 Patinack Farm Classic at Flemington next Saturday, 5 November.
In Europe, three-year-old star Frankel stretched his unbeaten sequence to nine a fortnight ago when he won the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot in spectacular fashion. He remains unbeaten in two seasons and has already collected five G1 titles. His trainer Sir Henry Cecil describes him as the best horse he has ever handled, and from someone with such a gilt-edged list of past champions to his name, that is a huge compliment indeed.
Sir Henry has said he will put Frankel’s stamina to the test at 2000m when he turns four next season. The horse is a son of 2001 Derby winner Galileo, so I feel confident he is capable of handling the longer distance. I'm sure racing fans all over the world will be eagerly waiting to see how he performs at this elite level.
For every racehorse owner, it's the ultimate dream to own a horse that puts together a long unbeaten sequence. In Hong Kong, we can well remember the growing delight and disbelief on Archie Da Silva’s face as his star sprinter Silent Witness amassed 17 consecutive victories between 2002 and 2005, making him the world’s top ranked sprinter in turf for two years in a row. Silent Witness was not only a star horse, but also a wonderful racing ambassador who drew many non-racing fans to the racecourse. He also helped Hong Kong racing gain much prestige at international level.
Apart from the credentials and quality that create a superstar horse, the support given by its Owner is always critical. The trainer also needs to take great care in race planning and preparation for the horse, to ensure it reaches peak condition for its target races and is ready to accept the challenge. And its jockeys have to shoulder even greater responsibility, perhaps, as the slightest misjudgement on the day could cause the sequence to be broken and shatter the hopes of thousands of racing fans worldwide.
That was a fate that befell American mare Zenyatta, when she suffered the sole defeat of her career in her very final run last year in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. But although her unbeaten record stopped at 19, I would still rate her as one of the greatest racehorses of all time, as this included an incredible 13 G1 titles.
At Sha Tin tomorrow, one of our new top stars will seek to extend his unbeaten run to nine races, when Entrapment contests the HKG2 Premier Bowl. This John Size-trained five-year-old set a new record of seven wins in a season in 2009/10 (since matched by Ambitious Dragon), achieving this feat within only five months. He was then sidelined for more than a year, but this seems to have had no lasting effect on his form, as he made a very impressive comeback earlier this month when winning the HKG3 Sha Tin Sprint Trophy. This time Entrapment will be running at an even higher level, so let's see if he can extend his winning sequence further.
Several more top runners will square off in another feature race tomorrow, the HKG2 Sha Tin Trophy. Half of the 14 runners in the field are G1 winners. This mile event will be seen as a vital prepping run for some of these runners before in the Cathay Pacific Jockey Club races next month, then the internationals in December. Both races would be run as handicaps and I'm sure they will be two thrilling and exciting races to watch.
The Premier Bowl is expected to be run at a good to slow pace and should give horses on the pace a little advantage. Dim Sum is drawn in Gate 14, which is not very ideal and he has to use some energy to go to the front. But he is fit and still has a place chance for me. Multiglory is the other expected leader but he looks not fully fit to me at the moment. The unbeaten Entrapment should be well positioned. His work has been very good and he has improved further from his last run. He is the real deal and the horse to beat. Let Me Fight, who will start from Gate 12, is the choice of Darren Beadman among John Moore’s six runners in this race. He should get a good position in midfield and he will be my second choice. Another Moore’s runner Final Answer also looks fresh in trackwork. He only needs to carry 117 pounds and I would see him as an outsider in this race.
The Sha Tin Trophy is expected to be run at a good to slow pace and Beauty Flash from Gate 5 should be able to take the lead. His work has improved and even he is not fully fit, he’s a very honest horse and I think he can get a top-three finish. Able One has shown improvement from his recent trackwork, and he has nice place chance, too. My favourite for this race is Xtension who ran a good race first up and at a distance short of his best trip. He is working very well and should be positioned behind midfield, but I believe he will close strongly. Sichuan Success is the choice of Douglas Whyte in this race. He has improved from his first up start and is the main danger being well positioned behind the leaders. Another interesting runner is Flying Blue. His performance has been disappointing in his first start, therefore Whyte has chosen Sichuan Success and John Size was not too bullish about him which shows that in their opinion he is not there yet. Having said that, I think he has shown signs of coming back to his best and I would see how he performs in this mile event.
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