Sacred Kingdom Is Hong Kong Horse Of Year

Australian-bred champion sprinter Sacred Kingdom (Encosta De Lago AUS) was voted Hong Kong Horse of the Year by a panel of Hong Kong Jockey Club officials and racing journalists at Sha Tin.

Sacred Kingdom won the first two legs of the Champion Sprint Series and retained his title as Champion Sprinter for a third season.

The brilliant gelding is trained by P F Yiu and owned by Sin Kang Yuk.


Entrapment's Hong Kong Record

Hong Kong has an exciting three-year-old sprinter in Entrapment AUS (Halo Homewrecker USA). 

He has just won his seventh straight race this season in the Juvenile Sprint Trophy, 6f, and established a new Sha Tin record since its inception in 1971.

Twenty-four horses have won six races per season, but Entrapment is the first at seven.

His trainer John Size is aiming him at the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint in December.

Lizard's Desire Won Singapore International Cup

The South African team of trainer Mike de Kock and jockey Kevin Shea finally evened the score for their international traveller Lizard's Desire SAF (Lizard Island AUS) when they beat their Dubai World Cup conqueror Gloria De Campeao BRZ (Impression ARG) by a half length in the Singapore Airlines International Cup (Group 1) for three year olds upwards on Turf, 1m2f.

An authoratative half length victory earned the winner $753,303.96 and was good compensation for the DWC photo finish which followed another loss on the day for the team--by the tip of a nose.

Both horses looked the winner in the DWC and Kranji paddocks and were primed to engage in battle with their adversaries.

Once Gloria moved to the lead, Lizard's Desire took after him and they fought it out to the line.  This time Shea would prevail.

Al Shemali (Medicean) gave Britain third place by 1-3/4 lengths. 

Singapore took fourth with New Zealand horse Waikato (Pins AUS) and 12.5 favourite Presvis (Sakhee USA) took fifth.

What jockey Ryan Moore was playing at with Presvis left me confused. 

This time Presvis ran from just off the pace and not from last.  Despite the advantage of being closer, his finishing run was timed too late thereby nullifying his fast finishing speed.

When will his connections find a jockey who can place and time this fine horse so that he might start winning races again?*

*Belated partial apology to Ryan Moore.  Presvis lost a shoe midway in the race.
 

Victoria Cup Victory for Buena Vista

The Victoria Cup of Japan is a one-mile race for a minimum of four-year-old fillies and mares on Turf. 

It was won by another DWC race day second Buena Vista JPN (Special Week JPN).

Buena Vista gave the winner of the Sheema Classic, Britain's Dar Re Mi (Singspiel IRE), a battle for first and lost by 3/4 of a length.

The close of the Victoria Cup was tighter with the four-year-old prevailing by a neck over Hikaru Amaranthus JPN (Agnes Tachyon JPN).
 
Buena Vista raced 10 times and has never been out of the money.  This victory earned her £624,647.14.

The race was fiercely competitive with nine of the eighteen runners within a length of the winner.

They were all bred and trained in Japan.


Presvis' Nemesis

Ryan Moore left Sandown for a Hong Kong flight to partner 6yo Presvis (Sakhee USA) in the Audemars Piguet QEII Cup (Group 1), 1m2f, on Turf at Sha Tin after suffering a bruised cheek and eye from a mud divot during his winning race on the grey Glass Harmonium IRE in Sandown's The bet365 Gordon Richards Stakes (Group 3).

Presvis only managed fifth to Viva Pataca (Marju), whom he beat last year in the same race, with the much-fancied Collection IRE behind him in sixth.

Heartbreaker was a second by a neck for Mike de Koch's Lizard Island.  He lost the Dubai World Cup to Gloria de Campeao BRZ by a photo nose.

It was a hard-fought race with little distance amonst the nine horses.
 
Cat Junior USA skipped Sha Tin to make a fourth in The bet365 Mile at Sandown.

Big winner of the day was trainer John Moore (no relation to jockey Ryan Moore) who saddled both the winner of the QEII and the Champions Mile (Group 1) on Turf.

Able One NZ (Cape Cross IRE) returned to the highest level of form by winning the Champions Mile by 3/4 length over Fellowship.

Moore also won both these top two races in 2007 with Irish jockey Michael Kinane on board.

He said, "To win both big races today is amazing and to do it after a gap of three years is hard to describe."

"He (Viva Pataca) has broken the Hong Kong prize-money record now."
 
Both Collection and Presvis will compete in the  Singapore Airlines International Cup May 16.

Australia has also invited Presvis to compete in the Cox Plate.



Al Shemali to Singapore

Shock winner Al Shemali of the Dubai Duty Free has been supplemented for the Group 1 Singapore International Airlines Cup by UAE champion trainer Ali Rashid Al Raihe.


Makybe Diva

The magnificent three-time Melbourne Cup winner Makybe Diva produced her second foal, a filly by Fusaichi Pegasus, which was sold to her trainer Mark Cavenagh for $1.2 million.
 
Her first foal was a colt by Galileo which sold last year for $1.5 million.


IFHA World Thoroughbred Rankings 2009

The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities issued their World Thoroughbred Rankings.

Trained and bred in Ireland, 3yo colt Sea The Stars (Cape Cross IRE) is first at 135.  He has retired to the Aga Khan's Gilltown Stud where he will stand at 85,000 Euros per 

His 2yo half brother out of their late dam Urban Sea has joined STS at Gilltown.

The unnamed colt by Invincible Spirit IRE is said to be very much in the STS' mold.

Mare Goldikova IRE (Anabaa USA), trained by Freddie Head in France, is second in the rankings at 130 and will race again this year at five.

Coolmore's fine twosome who will race this year at four are Rip Van Winkle IRE (Galileo IRE) and Fame And Glory (Montjeu IRE).  They earned a 129 and 128 rating respectively.

Zenyatta USA (Street Cry IRE) shared a 128 rating with FAG. 

With STS and Lady Z out of the way (if she is out of the way), other horses including Coolmore's twosome have a chance to win major mid-distance races.

Rachel Alexandra USA (Megdaglia D'Oro USA) is the sole 127.  RA was rated at 125 in November after her last race, but the international handicappers decided to raise her 2lbs after their December meeting.

Five horses are rated 125:  Godolphin's Cavalryman (Halling USA), Conduit IRE (Dalakhani IRE), Gio Ponti USA (Tale of the Cat USA) Youmzain IRE (Sinndar IRE) and Gladiatorus USA (Silic FR).

Conduit has retired to stud in Japan, but eight of the top eleven will race in 2010.

Vodka:  Japan's Horse of the Year
 
Japan had no question about naming its outstanding 6yo mare Vodka JPN (Tamino Gimlet JPN) Horse of the Year for the second year running and 2009 Best Older Female.

She won three Group 1s in 2009 including a thrilling Japan Cup.