3yo End Sweep colt Admire Moon did the Japanese racing industry proud finishing 2nd in one of the best races in the world this year - the Group 1 Hong Kong Cup, over 2000m at Sha Tin racecourse on 10 December 2006.
This year's 3yo crop in Japan has been hailed as one of the best ever, and Admire Moon followed up on fellow 3yo colt Dream Passport's brilliant 2nd in the Japan Cup behind Deep Impact in late November, when he got within a short head of arguably the best performed horse in the world this year - the 6yo mare Pride in the Hong Kong Cup.
After jumping brilliantly early, champion Japanese jockey Yutaka Take seemed determined to keep an eye on Pride in the run, and he drifted Admire Moon back through the field behind the mare (with top international jockey Christophe Lemaire on board) in the race.The Hong Kong punters had got behind local hope, Hello Pretty, sending him out a narrow favorite, but he never looked a winning chance.Instead, last year's victor, Vengeance of Rain was very aggressively ridden, and rounding the final turn, he was taken to the front by Anthony Delpech.Last year he was too good for Pride, but this year it was soon obvious that the champion French mare had him covered.Just when it looked like the race was over, Take was able to find a clear path and asked Admire Moon for a late charge.He flew at the end, but the post was too close - the final margin was a short head.
Admire Moon has always shown plenty of ability, but the result in Hong Kong was truly a reflection of the high quality of this year's Japanese 3yo crop.In the Hong Kong Cup, he has gone closer to winning at Group 1 level than he has ever in Japan - even in the Japanese Classic races, and the horses he split in the finish have been internationally reclaimed as two of the best middle-distance turf performers in the world.
The other Japanese entrant in the Cup was Dia De La Novia, a 4yo mare trained by the globetrotting Katsuhiko Sumii.She was given every chance in the run, but finished 7th in the field of 12, and may have been aiming a little bit too high, however Sumii obviously has a high opinion of her, and she may be better as she matures.
Unfortunately the other 3yos who made the trip to Hong Kong did not do as well.Admire Main was sent out a short favorite in the 2400m Group 1 Hong Kong Vase after the withdrawal of champion mare Ouija Board after a training mishap saw her retired before the race.Fellow Japanese 3yo Song of Wind was also well supported, starting 2nd favorite.Song of Wind's flight over to Hong Kong had not gone as well as expected, and he was definitely not in the same condition he was when winning the Grade 1 Kikuka Sho over 3000m (the last leg of the 3yo male Japanese triple crown), so it was not a total surprise to see him fade on his run after hitting the front in the early stages of the final straight and finish 4th.
However, the effort of Admire Main was definitely disappointing - eventually finished 8th in the small 9 horse field.Connections had been very happy with his preparation, and he got to the front, where he needs to be, very easily.However, immediately after entering the straight, the horse was quickly passed and was beaten more than 13 lengths at the finish.Take (who rode Admire Main as well as Admire Moon) and trainer Mitsuru Hashida could not find excuses for the failure, and have vowed to get him back to his best on his return to Japan - perhaps as early as the Grade 1 Arima Kinen on 24th December 2006.
Dance in the Mood traveled to Hong Kong to run in the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile hoping to retire from racing in style, but the classy mare who has performed at the highest level in both Japan and the US since bursting onto the Japanese racing scene with 4 straight wins after debut culminating in a win the Grade 1 Oka Sho in April 2004, was unable to show her best this time, eventually finishing 12th.Take rode the 5yo daughter of Sunday Silence as well and he settled her back midfield, but wide from the draw (she started from the outside gate in the 14 horse field).But a better run wouldn't have helped her - she didn't produce her traditional finish in the final straight and will now be retired as one of the most valuable broodmares in the world.
The Japanese sprinters once again struggled in the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint.The Japanese runners have been well fancied in this event over the years, but their poor record has been well publicized, and this year the local punters were happy to let both Japanese horses go around at big prices.Meisho Bowler took no part in the race after being slow to begin, so it is difficult to evaluate his performance, and the incident would have been a terrible blow to connections after selecting the Hong Kong race as his final target for the year.She is Tosho had defeated Australian and 2006 Global sprinting champion Takeover Target (who was withdrawn prior to the race after the presence of a prohibited substance was identified) but never looked a winning chance in the Hong Kong event, and finished 13 lengths off the pace in 10th position.* Please visit the following websites for more information of the races.
Hong Kong Jockey Club website: http://www.hkjc.com/english/index.asp
Hong Kong International Races website: http://www.cxhkir.com/english/hkir2006/hkir06_index.asp
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