Some of our racing fans enjoyed watching I’ll Have Another winning the Kentucky Derby in our simulcast earlier this month. Ridden by young jockey Mario Gutierrez, this prolific three-year-old has since added another Grade 1 tally to his name as he again defeated Derby runner-up Bodemeister to claim the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Racecourse last Saturday.
That latest victory means that I’ll Have Another has won the first two legs of the US Triple Crown and will now bid to become the 12th horse in US racing history, and the first in 34 years, to achieve that elusive Triple Crown when he competes in the final leg of the series – the G1 Belmont Stakes in New York on 9 June.
Decades have passed since the US had its last Triple Crown winner, as Affirmed last achieved this great accomplishment back in 1978. That’s why many racing fans in the States are hoping that this will be the year when the long drought ends. But the three US Triple Crown races are held in the space of just five weeks. For any connections, it will be very testing for them to maintain their horses in top condition, recover well after races, and keep them happy in such a short space of time. The gruelling distance of 2,400m in the last leg at Belmont will also put the horses’ stamina and durability to the test.
Triple Crowns are incredibly difficult to win. In Britain, where the original thoroughbred Triple Crown consists of the 2,000 Guineas (1,600m), Derby (2,400m) and St Leger (2,900m), 15 horses have achieved the feat, with the last being Nijinsky in 1970. For my home country Germany, only one horse has ever clinched the elusive Dreifache Krone by winning the German 2000 Guineas (1,600m), Deutsches Derby (2,400m) and Deutsches St. Leger (2,800m) in the same year, and that was Königsstuhl back in 1979. I was also at the races when Königsstuhl won the St Leger at Dortmund because the horse owner Gestuet Zoppenbroich, was the stud farm which I managed. It was definitely an unforgettable experience at that time!
And returning to the US Triple Crown, it is worth noting that from 1932 to 2011, 21 of America’s top three-year-olds won both the Kentucky Derby (2,000m) and the Preakness (1,900m) but failed in the Belmont. Hopefully I’ll Have Another can overcome all the difficulties that a Triple Crown aspirant faces and I will closely follow the related news in the next fortnight.
I believe most racing fans all over the world and in Hong Kong will be looking forward to watching the Belmont Stakes this year. Although this race was not in our original local simulcast race schedule, given its defining importance this year, we are now making efforts to liaise with the Government in the hope that it can allow us to make the related broadcast arrangements. We hope to hear from the Government soon.
Compared with the US, our own version of the Triple Crown in Hong Kong appears to be more generous as the three legs are spread across four months and the races are also open to older horses to compete. However, the three races must still be won within the same season to qualify as a Triple Crown victory; and I think the distances of 1,600m to 2,400m for the three Triple Crown races here may actually be more challenging as, in keeping with the original Triple Crown in England, our races require runners to possess and display great speed and stamina in respective races.
Coincidentally, like racing fans in the US, our home fans also have the chance to watch a Triple Crown attempt on home turf, as our reigning Horse of the Year Ambitious Dragon will be making his bid for this much coveted title when he contests the final leg of the Hong Kong Triple Crown – the HKG1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup at Sha Tin Racecourse tomorrow.
Since River Verdon became the first Triple Crown winner in Hong Kong back in 1994, no horse has been able to emulate his feat. Only Makarpura Star in 1995, Indigenous in 1998, Super Kid in 2004 and Viva Pataca in 2009 won two of the three Triple Crown legs in the same season. Ambitious Dragon is the first horse in 18 years to win the first two of the three HK Triple Crown legs in the same racing season, and will now take a shot at completing a clean sweep in the HK Triple Crown, and claiming the HK$5 million Triple Crown special bonus on offer.
Though he will only take on five opponents in tomorrow’s race, the field does include young and improving stayer Dominant, 2010 Champions & Chater Cup winner and last year’s runner-up Mr Medici, and also two-time Hong Kong Cup runner-up Irian. So I believe it won’t be a walkover race for Ambitious Dragon and he must deliver a peak level performance to win the race. So I strongly recommend you to come and join us in Sha Tin Racecourse tomorrow to witness whether a new chapter of Hong Kong racing history will be made.
This race should be run at a slow pace, with usual leaders Super Pistachio with Liberator in the front. Mr Medici and Dominant are expected to be well positioned in midfield, with Irian and Ambitious Dragon at last. The big question is on whether Ambitious Dragon will stay the distance but I am of the view that the connections had to take the risk to try making history as being a Triple Crown winner. One of the first challenges for Ambitious Dragon is whether he can settle with the expected slow pace. With the weather forecast predicting some rain tomorrow, a softer track is expected and he has not performed on this track condition in the past. His class should make him still a winning chance but from a value and risk perspective, Dominant is a better proposition to be the winner. He handles the distance and softer track condition and is working very well. Liberator is in fine from but it will not be easy for him to turn around the result from the Queen Mother Memorial Cup when he was beaten by Dominant. Mr Medici is going better than before and looks a chance for being placed. He likes the distance and the softer or even heavier the going, the better would it be for him.
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