Part 2.....
(Long, I know, but hey.....)
The Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile
Gr.1 - 1600m - HK$16m (US$2m)
Asia's premier turf mile has attracted horsesfrom six jurisdictions and, reflecting local excellence in this division is the only international race where Hong Kong horses outweigh overseas opposition. The mile is the benchmark of racing excellence in Asia and Bullish Luck, the Asian Mile Challenge champion, headlines the field.
Bullish Luck is the top-ranked member of the field thanks to his memorable double in the Asian Mile Challenge earlier in the year when he won the Champions Mile and the Yasuda Kinen in such devastating fashion. He was unlucky not to win the CXHK Cup in 2004 and ran fourth in this race last season.
Highest-rated of the foreign raiders is Ramonti from Italy, who has never been out of the quinella in his homeland and numbers the Gr.1 Premio Vittorio di Capua among his conquests. Ex-Italian champions such as Falbrav and Rakti have performed very well at this meeting in recent times and this is Ramonti's opportunity to match those feats.
Two of America's best turf milers will also take chance. Becrux (who also began his career in Italy) is now based in California and in September travelled to Toronto to lift the Gr.1 Woodbine Mile (formerly the Atto Mile) by a neck from Rebel Rebel, another ex-European and the 2000 Guineas runner-up last year.
Mustameet represents Ireland in the form of his life having picked up a very impressive five black-type races in 2006, reflecting veteran trainer Kevin Prendergast's best season for many a year.
Meanwhile Satchem will try to emulate Firebreak, Godolphin's CXHK Mile winner of 2004. The consistent Satchem has not finished out of the frame in his last five runs, picking up a Gr.3 along the way.
Japan's finest female miler, Dance In The Mood has rediscovered the form that won her the Japanese 1000 Guineas two years ago. She contested the CXHK Cup in 2004, but now back to her pet distance and more mature and stronger, this year she has collected the Gr.1 Victoria Mile and a Gr.3 in California. Last weekend she proved her wellbeing with second, beaten a neck, in the Mile Championship.
Many in Hong Kong believe Armada can give champion trainer John Size his first success at this meeting. The five-year-old, who has risen to every challenge asked of him, was the Most Improved Horse last term and his ascent through the ranks reached new heights last weekend with a stylish win in the CX International Mile Trial from a number of rivals he will meet again in December.
Russian Pearl and Joyful Winner are proven Gr.1 performers at home and abroad and will be joined by The Duke and Bowman's Crossing, two perennials at this meeting. The Duke has finished second and third in the last two editions of the Mile and the evergreen Bowman's Crossing was runner-up in 2003.
Finally, the progressive Floral Pegasus and Sir Ernesto proved they are worthy of their places in this company with a courageous third and fourth respectively in the CX International Mile Trial on Sunday last.
The Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup
Gr.1 - 2000m - HK$20m (US$2.56m)
The world's richest turf race over 2000m. It features competitors from five racing jurisdictions - including the last two winners - and matches some of the world's finest fillies and mares against the best males from the Asian Racing Federation.
Pride, the highest-rated runner at the meeting, seeks to go one better in this race having finishing second to Vengeance Of Rain last year. The brilliant French-trained mare will arrive in Hong Kong in even better form than 12 months ago after a resounding Champion Stakes success following a luckless second in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Vengeance Of Rain is unbeaten in five starts at this course and distance and he has returned as good as ever after a lengthy lay-off this year. No horse has ever won Hong Kong's richest race twice but connections believe last yearˇ¦s world champion will be peaking for the assignment after two very encouraging preps.
Alexander Goldrun makes her third and final journey to Hong Kong. She won this race for Ireland in 2004 but had no luck in running last season. This year she has maintained her high standards and won the Gr.1 Pretty Polly Stakes among a series of top class performances.
Voted the best three-year-old filly in Europe at the Cartier Awards last week following three consecutive Gr.1 wins, Mandeshais a stable companion of Pride. Her most recent victory in the Prix de l'Opera lowered the Longchamp course record for 2000m and she bids to give her owner, the Aga Khan, a first winner in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong's chances of keeping the prize at home are by no means limited to Vengeance Of Rain because the excellent duo of Hello Pretty and Viva Pataca will also take plenty of beating. The former could not have been more impressive taking out the CX International Cup Trial ten days ago and trainer Tony Cruz is expecting even further improvement. However, the same certainly applies to Viva Pataca, the outstanding winner of the Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby in March whose campaign has been tailored towards the Cup.
After ten years at the top in Hong Kong, trainer David Hayes knows what it takes to win international races at Sha Tin and Growl will be his first runner at this meeting since returning to Australia. Growl has made sensational progress since making his debut earlier this year and has won a Gr.2 and took second place in the Gr.1 Mackinnon Stakes on his last start.
Japan last won this race in 2001 with Agnes Digital and the country is very strongly represented this year with three runners. Admire Moon has won four Group races and is considered one of the very best Japanese three-year-olds; Swift Current is in career-best form after an excellent second in the Tenno Sho recently and is preparing for this weekend's Japan Cup. Meanwhile, DiaDe La Novia was placed in last year's Oaks and continues to figure prominently at the highest level and also runs in the Japan Cup this Sunday.
French hopes for a second CXHK Cup success rest not just with Pride, but also SatwaQueen and Musical Way. The former is a Gr.2 and Gr.3 winner who ran a close second to Mandesha in the Prix de l'Opera. The latter won the Gr.3 Coupe de Maisons-Laffitte prior to her third-placed effort in the Gr.1 Lydia Tesio last month.
Hong Kong runners High Intelligent, trained by champion John Size, and Art Trader, trained by John Moore, complete the Cup line-up.
Declarations for The Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races are on Thursday, December 7, the same day as the barrier draw in the Sha Tin parade ring.