HK - THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS 2) THE CATHAY PACIFIC HONG KONG MILE

By Hong Kong Jockey Club | Thursday, November 25, 2010

The Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile is the richest international mile race in the world.

Formerly known as the Hong Kong Invitation Bowl, the race debuted in 1991 to mark the staging of the 22nd Asian Racing Conference in Hong Kong. It was renamed the Hong Kong Mile and run over 1600m from the old distance of 1400m for the first time in 1999.

The Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile has consistently lured many of the greatest milers and middle-distance runners from throughout the globe and it now has a purse that is seven times higher than when first run 14 years ago.

Long-shots have frequently fared well in the Hong Kong Mile. Inaugural winner, Additional Risk, scored at odds of 33/1 for Irish trainer Dermot Weld and jockey Mick Kinane.

Glen Kate landed the second renewal at odds of 25/1 and Monopolize won the Bowl at odds of 12/1 in 1995, only to register a repeat victory at 6/1 odds in 1996 for Aussie trainer Grahame Begg.

In between, a favourite obliged in the form of Winning Partners, who scored at odds of 2.70 in 1993 for Hong Kong trainer Neville Begg with Kinane the successful jockey again, while Soviet Line won for Britain 12 months later.

Having won on Monopolize in 1996, jockey Darren Beadman emulated Kinane's feats in landed back-to-back Bowls when Catalan Opening scored for training genius, Bart Cummings.

Jim And Tonic, whose path was plotted by astute French trainer Francois Doumen, won the 1998 Hong Kong International Bowl at odds of nearly 10/1.

With the race now upped in distance to a mile and at Gr.2 level, the next winner was Docksider, going in at the shortest odds to date of 2.10 having previously run a close third in the Breeders' Cup Mile for American owner Gary Tanaka and English trainer John Hills.

One the most famous races ever staged in Hong Kong followed in 2000 - the gripping duel between Australasian champion mare Sunline and Fairy King Prawn, the hometown hero.

Sunline dictated matters from the front, but off the home turn Fairy King Prawn unleashed the kind of kick that had brought him victory in the HK Sprint and the Yasuda Kinen within the previous 12 months.

The 70,000 plus crowd bayed as The Prawn reduced a seemingly impossible deficit with every stride, but the New Zealand mare clung on by a short head.

Long-shots made a return to the victory parade in 2001 when Eishin Preston went from last and widest of all turning for home to bag the spoils for Japan at odds of 23/1 - not a bad price for a horse that won by a race record margin of 3.30 lengths, and one that would later return to Sha Tin to claim a brace of Audemars Piguet QEII Cups.

The winner's odds more doubled to a record quote of 48/1 in 2002 as reigning HK Derby hero Olympic Express withstood the late charge of the reigning local Horse of the Year, Electronic Unicorn in one of the finest training performances of Ivan Allan's trophy-laden career.

Somehow Allan managed to extract victory from a horse that only three weeks earlier had finished over 20 lengths last in a 1000m sprint, its first run in six months.

Hong Kong secured another home quinella in 2003 when Lucky Owners, who three months later would secure a memorable double in the Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby, scrambled past the line in front of Bowman's Crossing for Tony Cruz and jockey Felix Coetzee.

Perseverance paid off for Firebreak in 2004. The Godolphin horse ran a close fifth behind Lucky Owners in 2003, but raced close to the pace and led inside the final furlong to score from local hopes Perfect Partner and The Duke.

In 2005, Japan Champion Miler Hat Trick ran past his field with a strong turn-of-foot in a fast time of 1.34.8 seconds.

The Duke, under a well-timed ride by Olivier Doleuze held on courageously by a head over Champion Miler Armada to capture his first Group 1 in the 2006 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile … and jockey Olivier Doleuze made it back-to-back wins on another HKIS graduate in the Mile a year later when Good Ba Ba, Hong Kong’s Horse of the Year that season, prevailed in a terrific final furlong tussle with Creachadoir.

Good Ba Ba made history at Sha Tin in 2009 when running out the dramatic winner for an unprecedented third time in a row. Olivier Doleuze won on Good Ba Ba in 2007, while Christophe Soumillon was on board 2008, before Doleuze regained the ride when Good Ba Ba completed the hat trick.

Horses invited to this years Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile are:

CATHAY PACIFIC HONG KONG MILE:
G1 – 1600m – HK$16 million (US$ 2.053 million).

Hong Kong horses have reigned supreme in the Mile for each of the last four renewals of this event - largely through the efforts of the great Good Ba Ba, winner for the last three years.

With a powerful team of opponents spearheaded by Paco Boy, second only to the mighty Goldikova at this trip, and dual winner of the G1 Sun Chariot Stakes Sahpresa, it remains to be seen whether that supremacy can be maintained.

PACO BOY:
Has spent much of his career playing Cape Of Good Hope to Goldikova’s Silent Witness, but has so often run the wonder mare close that he is certainly one of the world’s best milers.

ABLE ONE:
Hong Kong’s reigning Champion Miler, who seems to be getting better with age. Winner of G1 Champions Mile at Sha Tin in April three years after his first victory in that race. Easy winner of G2 CX Jockey Club Mile 21 November.

FELLOWSHIP:
Top class miler who made his HKG1 breakthrough when winning last season’s Stewards’ Cup.

BEAUTY FLASH:
Winner of HKG1 Mercedes-Benz HK Classic Mile in 2010. Failed to deliver best in G1 Yasuda Kinen on summer visit to Japan. Fourth in G2 CX Jockey Club Mile 21 November.

DREAM EATER:
British miler twice narrowly beaten in G2 Topkapi Trophy, Europe’s richest mile event, 3,50 lengths behind Goldikova and Paco Boy in G1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot this year.

A SHIN FORWARD:
Japanese trained five-year-old winner last time out of G1 Mile Championship at Kyoto on 21 November.

GOOD BA BA:
One of the all time great milers. Winner of this race for the last three years and now attempting a possibly unassailable fourth victory in succession at the age of eight.

SIGHT WINNER:
Ran excellent fifth after interrupted preparation in the G1 Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo in June.

THUMBS UP:
Winner of 2010 HKG3 Mission Hills Sha Tin Trophy from Hong Kong Champion Miler Able One, and previously runner-up to Collection in 2010 Citibank HK Gold Cup. Strong finishing second to Able One in G2 CX Jockey Club Mile 21 November.

CHATER WAY:
Consistent Hong Kong miler. Finished third last time out to Able One and Thumbs Up in G2 CX Jockey Club Mile.

BEETHOVEN:
Ballydoyle three-year-old who won G1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket in 2009 and whose most recent victory came in G3 Desmond Stakes at Leopardstown (1600m good to firm) in August.

ROYAL BENCH:
French trained three-year-old. Winner last time out of G2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein at Longchamp Arc meeting.

RAJSAMAN:
French trained dual G3 winner. Last time out won G3 Prix Perth at St. Cloud (1600m) 31 October.

SAHPRESA:
French trained winner for the last two years of G1 Kingdom of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket. Fourth in Mile Championship at Kyoto, Japan 21 November.

Winners of the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile:
Year Horse Name Represented Country
1991 Additional Risk (IRE) IRELAND
1992 Glen Kate (USA) USA
1993 Winning Partner (NZ) HK
1994 Soviet Line (IRE) GB
1995 Monopolize (AUS) AUS
1996 Monopolize (AUS) AUS
1997 Catalan Opening (NZ) AUS
1998 Jim and Tonic (FR) FRANCE
1999 Docksider (USA) GB
2000 Sunline (NZ) NZ
2001 Eishin Preston (USA) JAPAN
2002 Olympic Express (GB) HK
2003 Lucky Owners (NZ) HK
2004 Firebreak (GB) UAE
2005 Hat Trick (JPN) JAPAN
2006 The Duke (AUS) HK
2007 Good Ba Ba (USA) HK
2008 Good Ba Ba (USA) HK
2009 Good Ba Ba (USA) HK

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