We were treated to a double dose of G1 action at Sha Tin last Sunday, which included an exciting turnaround on the road to next month’s BMW Hong Kong Derby as Designs On Rome won the Hong Kong Classic Cup. That victory reversed the result of the Hong Kong Classic Mile as he defeated his conqueror on that occasion, his stablemate Able Friend. The Irish import was as outstanding on Sunday as Able Friend had been in the Classic Mile, as he delivered an amazing long spurt under Tommy Berry to blunt Able Friend’s speed and make the most of his own stamina.
These are exciting times as we set out on the final stretch to the BMW Hong Kong Derby, but they are particularly exciting for trainer John Moore. He achieved a notable training feat in the Classic Cup as Secret Sham in third place ensured a first-three finish for his stable. No wonder when John met the media after the race he was so enthusiastic about the handful of talented four-year-olds he has going into next month’s Derby, even describing it as the pinnacle of his career.
The day’s other G1 event, the Chairman’s Sprint Prize, saw our champion sprinter Lucky Nine shake off some tough luck and his sub-par performance on international day to notch his first win of the season and successfully defend his crown in this 1200m contest. In battling to success he showed that he is returning to prime form and hopefully will be a force to reckon with in the coming months. He has the option to run in the Speed Series final leg, the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup, next time or possibly engage in an overseas campaign in Japan or Dubai in the near future. A return to Singapore, the scene of his brilliant G1 triumph last season could also be on the cards. I will be interested to see which path connections choose to go down.
His latest victory took the total stakes money won by Lucky Nine since first arriving in Hong Kong to beyond HK$45 million. This places him third among current active horse with most career earnings – behind Ambitious Dragon and California Memory. But he will need to keep on producing these top efforts if he is to challenge the HK$62 million stakes won by the legendary Silent Witness and become Hong Kong’s top earning sprinter of all-time.
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And while we’re on the subject of Silent Witness, our great champion was in the limelight as this year’s Global Sprint Challenge commenced at Flemington Racecourse with the running of Lightning Stakes last weekend. Of course the full glare of the spotlight went to race winner Snitzerland, but before the race Silent Witness was a focus of attention as he showed up in the Flemington paddock to greet racing fans. Those of you who saw him race will recall that he was a big and powerful individual and he remains so, but from photos he looks as sound as ever. Silent Witness is now residing at Living Legends, along with fellow Hong Kong retirees Bullish Luck and Sacred Kingdom. It’s good to see him enjoying his retirement. If you want to follow those update news about these legendary Hong Kong horses, you can also visit Living Legends’ Facebook page here.
Back to our local races and we are counting down to the 1O1O Million Challenge finale on 5 March. Rainbow Fighter notched a decent win last week to lift himself to the top of the leaderboard. This time three other horses from the top five of the current standings – namely original leader Bullish Boy in 2nd, Pleasure Gains in 3rd and Chater Dream in 5th – will be contesting races to try to regain the lead. I’m sure many will be paying extra attention to their performances tonight.
For the Tsuen Wan Handicap, the interesting aspect of this Class 2 1800m event is that some of the contenders will run the first time over this distance and it has to be seen if they can handle the extra distance of 150m. Bullish Boy will probably take up his usual role as leader, but may be joined by Sunny Ying who has to work early to overcome his wide gate. Lucky Forever can take the box seat with Perfect Cheers behind him. Bubble Chic should be well positioned behind the leaders with Chater Dream in midfield. Pleasure Gains from the wide draw is likely to go back and has to come from the back similar to Travel Brand.
The pace will give advantage to horses in the front of the field, but I still think that Pleasure Gains has the potential to win the race, despite the fact he is running the first time over the distance. Jolly Victor is in my opinion one of his main opponents, as is Travel Brand who has Mirco Demuro on board. Bubble Chic who is working well is a place chance, especially because I have some doubts over Bullish Boy staying the extra distance. Chater Dream would face a similar problem in my opinion.
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