Ambitious Dragon (NZ) Exceptional in Gr.1 QE II in Hong Kong
2 May 2011
The most exciting horse on the Hong Kong circuit, the four-year-old Ambitious Dragon (NZ) showed that he is a kiwi with exceptional ability as he put on a dazzling display in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2000m) last night at Sha Tin.
The winner of the HK-1 Hong Kong Derby at his last start, now six weeks ago, the Tony Millard trained Ambitious Dragon (Pins x Golden Gamble) showed not only his dizzying ability on the turf, but also his sheer durability and determination as he produced another star performance to take his first international Group 1 win.
In a gem of a ride from jockey Douglas Whyte, Ambitious Dragon was well back in the field and on the rail, with Whyte bringing him into the race at the 600 metre mark and taking him wide on the turn.
Giving the leaders a significant start in the straight, Whyte let Ambitious Dragon loose, unleashing his devastating turn of foot and blowing the field away as he romped home to win by a length in the feature.
"It all went so sweetly in the race," said Whyte.
"The only bit of aggro came in the stalls when he wanted to put his head down once, then did it again just before they opened. But after he'd come out a bit more slowly than the others he did everything right, and when I asked him to go he was in front in a matter of about three strides."
Trainer Tony Millard was thrilled with Ambitious Dragon's first international Group 1 win.
"I was very worried in the weeks from the Derby to here because I felt we'd really squeezed him for the Derby. But he's come back up again, and to get left at the start as well, it just shows how good he is."
The improvement that Ambitious Dragon has shown this season is truly remarkable. To come from a class four win just eight starts ago, to register three consecutive wins at the highest level is a feat rarely seen.
"We knew what he was doing wrong and we knew that if we got that right he would start to improve, but we couldn't have guessed by how much," said Millard.
The win continues a remarkable season in Hong Kong by New Zealand gallopers. Not only is Ambitious Dragon the first horse to win the prestigious Hong Kong Derby - Queen Elizabeth II double since the 2007 Hong Kong Horse of the Year, the mighty Vengeance of Rain (NZ) (Zabeel), he has bought up the tenth Hong Kong black-type victory for New Zealand this season. New Zealand is now four in front of the closest rival for black-type wins in Hong Kong with Australia on six.
In an exceptional weekend for Waikato Stud, it was the third stakes success for their stallions, with Scarlett Lady (Savabeel) and Hammer Down (O'Reilly) winning stakes races in New Zealand. The sire of 39 individual stakes winners, Pins is having a very successful season with black-type winners including Icepin, Antonio Lombardo and Bespoke.
The son of Snippets has a draft of five weanlings in the NZB May Sale.
Ambitious Dragon was offered by Belvedere Farm at the 2008 Karaka Select Sale. His half-brother by High Chaparral was purchased by the Hong Kong Jockey Club for $420,000 from Belvedere Farm at the 2011 Karaka Premier Sale.