Ambitious Dragon (NZ) Makes Stunning Return
29 October 2012
Anyone that needed reminding of why the kiwi bred Ambitious Dragon (NZ) (Pins x Golden Gamble) has earned consecutive Hong Kong Horse of the Year Titles need only see his performance in the HK-2 Sha Tin Trophy (1600m) last night.
Trained by Tony Millard, Ambitious Dragon was making his first appearance this season since running second in the HK-1 Champions & Chater Cup in May, last night tearing apart a high quality field in a brilliant performance.
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Ambitious Dragon claims the Sha Tin Trophy. |
“I like the way he won today and I like the way Zac rode him,” commented Millard. “There were so many options and we had to think about it very carefully, and Zac held his head and rode a copybook race.Ridden by jockey Zac Purton, the son of Pins raced mid-field and cruised up to the leaders in the straight before producing his customary turn-of-foot and effortlessly racing away to a one-and-a-half length win.
“We’ll most probably go for the Group 2 Jockey Club Mile next up. From there we will look at whether we go for the Hong Kong Mile or the Hong Kong Cup (2000m) in December, but I’d like to give him another run at a mile first and take it from there.”
Karaka graduates filled the first two places home with the Ready to Run Sale graduate Glorious Days (Hussonet) racing into second place. Glorious Days won the award for Hong Kong’s Most Improved Horse last season and has placed at Group level on four occasions from just nine starts.
Crowned Hong Kong’s Horse of the Year for the second consecutive year in July, Ambitious Dragon was also crowned Hong Kong’s Champion Middle Distance horse and Champion Miler.
Ambitious Dragon was bred by Mr Pat Lowry and was offered by Belvedere Farm at the 2008 Karaka Select Sale. His half-brother, a colt by High Chaparral, was purchased by the Hong Kong Jockey Club for $420,000 from Belvedere Farm at the 2011 Karaka Premier Sale and will surely be the star attraction at the Hong Kong Sale on 8 December.
Raced by Johnson Lam Pui Hung & Anderson Lam Hin Yue, Ambitious Dragon has won 11 of his 21 starts for over $6.4 million and capped off a great weekend for the Karaka Select Sale with fellow graduate Ocean Park winning the Group 1 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on Saturday to become the fifth New Zealand bred winner of the prestigious weight-for-age contest in the last six years.