After last Sunday’s Audemars Piguet QEII Cup, tomorrow we will host an international event for the second consecutive week – the G1 BMW Champions Mile. Some of the overseas racing journalists chose to stay in the city for an extra seven days to cover this event, and I met most of them while attending track work at Sha Tin yesterday morning. Some of them told me that it’s worth making their trip longer as the solid home team, together with those Dubai form runners, as well as Peter Moody-trained King’s Rose make this a formidable contest. I duly agree with their point of view as I too think that this year’s Champions Mile is the most cracking field since the race was opened to international participation in 2005.
Apart from talking with the press, I took the opportunity to watch all four overseas contenders gallop on the track, which gave me the chance to gauge their condition before the race. They are in terrific shape and I would say that if they perform to their best, they will pose a strong threat to the home team tomorrow. It’s also pleasing to have the chance to meet the horses’ connections, to discuss and learn more about their pre-race preparation and how their horses have settled in at the quarantine stables.
This year’s Champions Mile brings not only good horses such as Cityscape, who won the Dubai Duty Free in March in a fantastic fashion, it also brings some top international trainers to our event. Peter Moody has earned great fame internationally with his prepping of supermare Black Caviar, who will be Royal Ascot-bound after notching up her 20th career victory in a G1 held at Morphettville last weekend. After that record-breaking triumph, Peter is in Hong Kong this week to take care of his runner, King’s Rose, who carries the colours of Hong Kong owner Dr Gene Tsoi.
Another top racing figure currently in the city is Saeed bin Suroor, the decorated Godolphin trainer who has sent Godolphin Mile winner African Story to Hong Kong for the contest tomorrow. Of course, this famous trainer has earned enormous success internationally, and he’s bidding for his sixth victory in Hong Kong. Add to the list Mike de Kock, a frequent visitor to our internationals in Hong Kong, with his runner Musir taking part this time, and of course Cityscape’s trainer Roger Charlton, who has won some of the biggest races in Europe including the Derby in both France and England for Cityscape’s globally-respected owner/breeder Khalid Abdulla. The participation of these top racing connections show the great importance of our spring internationals in Hong Kong and how highly they are regarded.
Also this weekend, the first major Classic event of the year in Europe takes place, as the 2000 Guineas will be run at Newmarket tonight, followed by the 1000 Guineas at the same track tomorrow. Some of our racing customers have asked us recently whether the Club would simulcast more world-class overseas races such as the 2000 Guineas. But we are disappointed that our efforts to ask for more flexibility with a view to cover more of these good races have not been approved. Under the current regulations, we can either choose those races which fall on our local raceday, or schedule it as a simulcast day. As such, it will be difficult for us to make trade-off with other possible overseas simulcast days for the rest of the season. This reflects the difficulties and constraints that we face when we are making our simulcast arrangements.
Across the Atlantic, Churchill Downs at Louisville will host the most prestigious three-year-old race in the US – the 138th Kentucky Derby. By using one of our local raceday overseas simulcast race quota, this year we will again simulcast this race to you all in Hong Kong. So you may stay tuned to our broadcast tomorrow morning and see which top dirt runner can claim victory in the first round of the US Triple Crown, which is referred to in the US quite simply as “the most exciting two minutes in sports”.
It really is an exciting weekend for horseracing fans around the world and here in Hong Kong we are certainly playing a leading role in this global show with such a strong renewal of the BMW Champions Mile.
Please indulge me as I give a closer analysis of the Champions Mile, after all, I hope what I saw at track work yesterday will be useful for you all while studying the race. Among the overseas contingent, Cityscape looked very fresh in his work, and he trained and travelled very well. The shape of the race also appears favourable to him ahead of time, as it is difficult to pinpoint a natural pace-setter, so he could well be ridden to the front and take the lead. Should another runner prove faster than him in the early stages of the race, he could comfortably sit on or near the speed. He’s a rather versatile horse and I think he will be difficult to beat if he is in the form he displayed in Dubai. Another overseas contender, King’s Rose, is also in prime form. She looks well and should the race turn out all right for her, she will go close at the finish.
For the home team, Ambitious Dragon has proven that he is the classiest runner of all. He was not at his best in Dubai last time, as it was discovered after the race that he ran a temperature and was found to be under the weather the next morning. It also appeared that he did not entirely adapt to the training mode in Dubai, which was quite different in Hong Kong. After returning to Hong Kong, he looked as though he would benefit from a bit of time to recover from his efforts and the same applies to another Dubai Duty Free Hong Kong runner Xtension.
I think Ambitious Dragon would need to be at his very best if he is to beat Cityscape. But if he loses too much ground and finds himself 4-5 lengths behind Cityscape when entering the home straight, it would leave him with an immense task.
Looking at the other home runners, Glorious Days is in great form and comparatively, he may enjoy a physical advantage for having stayed in Hong Kong and not travelled overseas to race. He is capable of going close and I will be interested to see if he can make his breakthrough in G1 company. Lucky Nine possesses top-class acceleration and ran a race of real courage in the Dubai Golden Shaheen last time. Though he is drawn out in 14, the widest gate, he is another home runner with a good chance to break into the top three.
For the other feature event of the day, the HKG3 Queen Mother Memorial Cup, it is run as a handicap event over 2400m. Due to the special handicap condition which permits horses with rating of 80 or over to enter for the race, the entry of Noble Conqueror with a rating of 118 – carrying the top weight of 133 pounds – has made this nearly a terms race. Dominant was the only other runner carrying 119 pounds, which is 6 pounds more than all remaining horses at 113.
The expected pace is slow and it will help horses with doubtful stamina to perform over the 2400m distance. Super Pistachio is the likely leader with Liberator tacking the position just behind him and Real Specialist on his outside. Liberator is working well and should get the extra distance indicating his stamina with an easy win in Happy Valley over 2200m. He will be a place chance for me. The same applies to the in-form Real Specialist whose sire Storming Home was a 2200 to 2400m horse. Carthage is one of the proven 2400m runners in the field. From his good position in the field, he’s another place chance. My two favourites in this race are Dominant who is working very well and the choice of Douglas Whyte. He has a proven form over 2000m and should stay the extra distance even his sire is not famous for stayers. Same World ran a terrific race in the Derby and struggled with Valley in his last start, but he’s a proven 2000m horse and should get the extra distance.
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