The past weekend saw the racing spotlight shine on both Hong Kong and Australia, as Down Under the mighty mare Black Caviar made a sensational return to the races following her eight-month spell after her Ascot success last summer. She looked back to her best in winning the G1 Lightning Stakes at Flemington Racecourse for the third consecutive time, and it was an extra special day as the race was named the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes for the first time, in her honour. Her trainer, Peter Moody, had something extra to celebrate as the race’s top-three finishers all came from his yard.
With that victory, Black Caviar’s unbeaten sequence was extended to 23 and it’s a rare enjoyment to watch such a great runner continue to deliver her top game and perform so well in every outing over such a long sequence. Racing certainly welcomes this kind of star runner as it draws the wider public’s attention.
Back to Hong Kong, there were also two exciting Group 1 races for us to enjoy last Sunday. In the day’s first HKG1 event - the Chairman’s Sprint Prize – we saw Lucky Nine deliver again his top performance and achieve his fourth Group 1 victory. Tough luck stayed away from him this time as he showed a great turn of foot to storm clear from the rest of the field in the straight, proving that he remains at the top of his game. But I have to say the race’s runner-up Frederick Engels also produced a very good run in the home stretch. Although he has had to settle for second in both legs of the HK Speed Series this season, I believe he possess the potential to make it to the top and so it looks like he could have a very bright future.
Either the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup, or a trip to Dubai for the Golden Shaheen, are now being considered for Lucky Nine’s next target. The former race is run over Lucky Nine's ideal distance of 1400m, but it could be another tough test as he may well meet Glorious Days; while this seasoned traveller would face some Tapeta or dirt specialists if his connections opt for another trip to the Middle East. Certainly it won’t be an easy decision but I believe his trainer and owner will consider it carefully and make a decision which is good for the horse. And I think we all know that he will be a tough and well-regarded competitor no matter which race he lines up in.
Black Caviar’s victory in the Lightning Stakes, along with the one-two finish of Lucky Nine and Frederick Engels in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize might well be widely expected by race fans. On the contrary, racegoers at Sha Tin saw a breathtaking upset in the second HKG1 event on Sunday – the Hong Kong Classic Cup, with It Has To Be You and President Lincoln – both 125-1 chances – springing a big surprise with their one-two finish. The result naturally led me to recall the big shock of Holy Grail winning the 1999 Derby at long-shot odds. I have to say, it came as no surprise when my colleagues told me afterwards that the quinella payout for this race broke the previous record from Holy Grail’s Derby victory.
As I said before the race in my last blog, the Classic Cup this year was not going to be as simple to call as many observers seemed to think, but frankly speaking the race result was not what I expected. The pace of the race was very slow, and under such circumstance, anything can happen. Those outsiders such as It Has To Be You, who had a nice trip through the race, finished strongly to surprise us. That's why racing is such an interesting sport as even if a runner starts as a long-shot, if it applies the right moves, rides some luck and has the pace run to suit, it can have as good a chance to claim the top honour as a more fancied rival. The race outcome also reflected that despite there being a few standout candidates, the Derby this year is rather open and it remains to be seen whether one of the highly-regarded favourites or some other dark horse will emerge victorious on 17 March.
Before we look forward and try to work out who will be the Derby champion next month, let’s get our attention back to our first Valley meeting in the Year of the Snake tonight, which is also the penultimate race night of the 1O1O Million Challenge. Particularly, Mega Champion currently sits third in this Happy Valley race series and will have to win the Rotary Centenary Challenge Cup to preserve his chance of surpassing current leader Cape Canaveral for the major share of the HK$1 million bonus.
A number of horses in this race are considered legitimate win chances in this very competitive Class 3 event at 1650 metres. Flying Unicorn is likely to go forward from his outside draw and is coming off his best effort of the season when second in this same race two weeks ago. The pace of the race is expected to be moderate and I expect Flying Unicorn to overcome the barrier, attain a good position to help establish the race tempo and make him a solid win and place chance. Galaxy Prancer is the likely favourite, a role he has taken up in his last two runs, and is a logical threat in his current form which has seen him run a place in six consecutive races. Always Something, a last start winner in Class 4, put in an eye-catching final sectional and has the benefit of a good draw tonight as well as a light weight. If he can find running room in the final 300m, he can make it interesting. Mega Champion will need to come from the back from his outside draw, but that is his running style and he has always performed well over this course and distance. This race is also interesting from a jockey angle as Olivier Doleuze and Douglas Whyte are trading mounts. Whyte rode Galaxy Prancer in each of his seven races this season and Doleuze rode Superninsky in his last start on 9 January.
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