Last Thursday we announced the 14 runners to be selected for the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup on 29 April, signifying the final countdown to our spring internationals. Among the nominees, we have invited four selected overseas runners to compete in this HK$14 million event. I feel delighted that, including our home contingent, there will be nine G1 or HKG1 winners in the field, reflecting the high standard of this premier middle distance event.
Among the four overseas contenders are two form runners from the Dubai World Cup meeting last month, namely Godolphin Mile runner-up Viscount Nelson and Dubai Sheema Classic 4th Treasure Beach. Viscount Nelson is partly-owned by South African horse training maestro Mike de Kock, who possesses an impressive past record in the APQEII Cup and will be seeking a third success in this event.
Some of you observant racing fans may also notice that three Derby winners will be squaring off against each other in the field, as Treasure Beach – winner of Irish Derby last year – will take on Ambitious Dragon and Fay Fay, our own Derby winners for the past two years. This much-travelled four-year-old, who also enjoyed G1 success in the US last summer, represents trainer Aidan O’Brien’s hope of achieving his maiden success in Hong Kong.
Like de Kock, Team Japan is questing for a third success following Eishin Preston’s impressive APQEII Cup double in 2002 and 2003, and will be represented by the improving star Rulership. It is also pleasing to see the return of French raider Chinchon; he was fourth in this same race three years ago and heads here in good form after winning on his seasonal debut in France last month.
I’m sure many of you will be keen to try and find out answers to a question or two ahead of the race. The biggest question in my mind right now is whether Ambitious Dragon and California Memory can bounce back in the next two weeks after their Dubai excursion. Time will tell how they have handled that trip but it is worth remembering that Beauty Flash, who performed below-par in the Dubai Duty Free last year, ran a close fourth in the BMW Champions Mile. Fingers crossed, I hope these two G1 heroes can arrive at the starting gate in peak condition.
Another interesting question is how our top four-year-olds fare against their elders and overseas opponents at the top level. I see it as a rather open and competitive contest; the battle in two weeks’ time is a tantalising prospect and one that I am looking forward to immensely.
Apart from racing, I am sure many sports fans will also be focused on the football side of things, as most major football leagues in Europe enter the final stage of the season. It appears that Serie A is the most fiercely contested among the four major leagues, as there is just a single point separating current leaders Juventus from second-placed AC Milan. As for the English Premier League and La Liga, Manchester United and Real Madrid are now in front with enviable leading margins, but they will both be taking on their main challengers in Manchester City and Barcelona at the end of this month; both games will probably prove to be champion-defining encounters with the finishing line so close at hand.
An interesting sub-plot in La Liga is the contest between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as to who will end the campaign as Spain’s leading goal scorer. As is often the case in sport when two great talents emerge at the same time, these two incredible players seem to push each other to ever higher standards of achievement. Their free-scoring exploits are such that at this stage I would not like to predict which man will emerge on top. I’m sure either one would sacrifice that accolade for his team to be crowned champions.
For the Bundesliga, the situation has become comparatively clearer after the heavyweight contest in midweek, as Borussia Dortmund defeated Bayern Munich by a single goal, making them six points clear at the top of the league table. And Borussia Monchengladbach – the team that I rooted for – are still in 4th position. They are now four points clear of fifth-placed Stuttgart, with a game in hand. With just four league matches remaining, they have a great chance to keep their current position, so as to qualify for next year’s Champions League. It’s certainly an outstanding achievement for them and I hope they will secure the results they need and achieve this great target as soon as possible in their upcoming games.
Back to local racing tomorrow we will stage a rare day-time races at Happy Valley. Among the 10 races on the card, the Hong Kong Exchanges Challenge Cup is a very good Happy Valley Class 1 race over 1200m. With an expected good pace, it should give every horse a fair chance from the pacing perspective! Horse Galore is a likely leader with Arrived Ahead who scored convincingly in his last start. I see both horses as place chances but I prefer Tai Sing Yeh who has drawn Gate 1 and should be well positioned behind the pace. His trackwork is good and as a Valley Specialist over course and distance with six wins on his record, he will be my favourite for this race. His main challenger is the upcoming three-year-old Charles The Great who won over course and distance. His last race over 1000m in the Valley saw a strong finish and the extra 200m should suit him better. For Paul O’Sullivan-trained Pizzazz, he has a nice ability to run fast last sectionals and will be a place chance in this event.
The Dengshikou Handicap as last race of the day is run as a Class 1 over 1650m, and the pace should be good to slow which gives a slight advantage to horses in the front of the field. Bullish Champion has to push early to overcome his draw of 12 to take the lead together with Just Fantastic. Despite the pacing advantage, I am more skeptical about their chances, because there are many proven Valley winners in the field. Winning Edge is drawn in Gate 1 and is working well. He has a good win and place chance, as well as Helene Spirit who should be well positioned behind the pace. Military Attack has drawn Gate 7 and is likely to come from the back, but he is still a win and place chance for me. Holiday Sun and Mr Bond are two other runners who have chances to run into top three.
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