Last week we saw Able One winning the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile, the third international G1 title of his illustrious career. Although this veteran miler is already a nine-year-old, his age didn’t seem to take much toll on him. You can never discount solid experience when competing at top level, and Able One and his veteran jockey Jeff Lloyd both showed great skill and fighting spirit to get the better of a highly respectable young field.
Trainer John Moore said in the post-race interview that this will definitely be the last season for this reliable miler, and I believe his Owner Dr Cornel Li would echo that. He quipped after the race that the horse had more time to rest than to exercise and race because of his past leg injuries, which might explain how he managed to win the race. Dr Li and his fellow connections must be very pleased with Able One's achievements over the past six years, and it will be interesting to see if the horse can add to his tally before retirement beckons at the end of the season.
While it's rare nowadays for a horse of this age to win at the highest international level - and it's certainly a first for our CXHK International Races - it's not a unique achievement. As recently as October, I can recall another nine-year-old hero Kasbah Bliss winning the marathon G1 Prix du Cadran at Longchamp in France.
In the US, meanwhile, records of a different type have been in the news, as five-year-old gelding Rapid Redux won his 19th race of the season at Laurel Park, Maryland, earlier this week. This equals the modern day record of victories in a single calendar year set by the great thoroughbred and influential sire Citation back in 1948.
It would be fair to say that the races contested by Rapid Redux this year have not been of exceptionally high standard; his latest race carried prize money of just US$17,000, and his entire winning streak this year has only netted US$250,000, which is less than HK$2 million. But winning 19 races in a row, at less than three-week intervals on average, is a pretty remarkable performance at any level. I'm pleased to hear that his trainer has vowed to let him go out at the top and retire him at the end of the year. It will be the perfect ending for a horse that has created a new chapter of racing history in the US.
As horse lovers, none of us would wish to see a fhorse continue racing when it is already past its prime and unlikely to recapture its old form again, especially if it's a horse that has achieved greatness in its career. That's actually true of most sports, and many top sportsmen over the years have taken the wise decision to bow out at the top rather than wait for age to take its toll.
I expect many of you have heard the news this week that our former champion horse Good Ba Ba will soon be back racing, as he has been shipped to Macau by his Owner and is now back in training. Personally, I feel very saddened by this decision as the horse will turn to 10 next month and has more than deserved a leisurely retirement. In his glorious six-year career in Hong Kong, he earned his connections almost HK$60 million in prize money and become something of an icon among local racing fans. His 16 wins include seven at G1 level, and he remains the only home or overseas horse to win one of our International Races three times in a row, the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile from 2007 to 2009.
I deeply believe every racehorse has its own mileage and extremes. When their horses can no longer perform to their best, most Owners will decide to call it a day and arrange for them to enjoy a deserved retirement, often exporting them overseas so that they can live out their remaining years in lush green pastures. I hope this will continue to happen, as I know that the majority of our Owners have great concern to ensure the best welfare of their beloved horses.
Having focused on older horses so far in today's blog, it's now time to turn my attention to the younger generation, as today’s 11-race programme Sha Tin will include the Griffin Trophy, an HK$2 million event limited to our three-year-old PPGs and ISGs. Although there are only six runners in the field, one of these will be Bear Hero who has already made a very impressive start to his Hong Kong career, with three wins in five outings. He will be making his first start here for more than three months after an October campaign in Australia, and will be joined by a promising talent – Fionn’s Treasure who made his winning debut in Hong Kong last month. So it beckons to be an interesting 1400m race.
The Midland Holdings Cup sees one of the most exciting 4-year-old horses - Glorious Days compete in the Class 2 event. The son of Hussonet will try to make it for three wins from three starts. The pace should be good to slow and there is no strong pacesetter as at least 5 horses usually lead or sit off the pace. Helene Witty has to push to get over from Gate 11 and is the most likely leader. Glorious Days should be perfectly placed in the box seat. Having considered his recent form as well as his very good trackwork, he should the horse to beat. His main opponent is another 4-year-old Time After Time who is working well too and meets Glorious Days better in the weights by 11 pounds. However, he is drawn Gate 14 and will have to come from the back of the field. Having in mind the way Glorious Days beat him last time it is difficult to see him reversing the outcome. New Vision is a good place chance and was a little bit disappointing in his last start but should get a good position in this race. Taverner is stepping up again to 1400m which should suit him and is another place chance for me. Adoration is for me an interesting outsider, who after a very good year last season, took some time to find form but I see some improvement in his work and could be surprise for a place.
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