Sunday at Sha Tin sees the last of our 11 international Group 1 races, and a race that dates to 1870. The Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup has a storied history. Originally, the race was known as the Champion Stakes, and actually predated the inauguration of England's Champion Stakes by seven years.
Founding member and 34-year Club Chairman Sir Catchick Paul Chater owned the winner of the race on five occasions, and upon his death in 1926, the race was renamed the Chater Cup. It adopted its current joint name in 1955. While distances of the race have changed over the years, it is now a true staying test, one of only two such events at this level in Hong Kong.
The great River Verdon was a four-time winner of the race, while three-time winners include Silver Lining and Viva Pataca. Racing fans who come to Sha Tin on Sunday could witness a fairly rare feat should Werther maintain his fantastic string of success. This John Moore trainee would be the second horse to land a lucrative treble of races, in one season, which includes the BMW Hong Kong Derby, Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup and Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup.
As I have noted in the past, my personal preference is to breed stayers, which are still mainstream in Europe. When it comes to prize money, it remains an attractive proposition, and many of the big owner-breeders in Europe have quality broodmares fit for producing stayers. In general, European and Japanese-bred stayers are seen as superior to Southern Hemisphere stayers. Werther has yet to establish a rating above that achieved in the middle-distance division, an amazing performance in the APQEII Cup on good-to-yielding ground which he handled best. He likely will face a slow pace and ground which is more on the good side, not to mention the added distance which is a fresh challenge in Hong Kong for him.
Helene Happy Star was a course and distance winner, making all last year during the Queen Mother Memorial Cup, and he looks like the only leader in the race. Military Attack is versatile and could race forward or go back, which he has done as of late. Werther should have an ideal position in the run tracking the pace while saving ground. Blazing Speed could have the run of the race. Designs On Rome will be well off the pace and Giovanni Canaletto probably too.
Werther is working very well and is the horse to beat but the race will likely turn to become a sprint in the last 400m. Blazing Speed is working well and has been successful over this distance but likes a steady pace. Military Attack is not proven over the distance but when it comes to a sprint he has some good finishing speed. The same applies to Designs On Rome, who would prefer a good or better pace to get into the race. Victory Magic was disappointing last time but should run better on the good ground and is a place chance for me, as well as Giovanni Canaletto.
Comment
