Date posted June 3, 2009 | Posted by Michele Cullen | Filed under
Racing and Breeding Viva Pataca made a compelling argument for Horse of the Year honours with a determined, but ultimately deserved, victory in the Citi Champions & Chater Cup on Sunday, the trainer, John Moore believed.
Winning the 2400m stayers’ championship for the third time – he was narrowly denied when runner-up in the race last year – the John Moore-trained seven-year-old, ridden by Weichong Marwing, clearly displayed the best stamina to thwart the admirable Thumbs Up by a neck.
Collection, whom Moore’s retained rider, Darren Beadman, opted to ride over the winner after lengthy deliberation, ran third, two lengths further away.
It was Viva Pataca’s seventh Group One victory of a glittering career and earned his owner Dr Stanley Ho Hung-sun, a lovely HK$2m bonus for his second success in the Citi Triple Crown. Viva Pataca had also won the Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup, the second leg of the series, in February.
“He’s a bit like me,” Dr Ho laughed, “he’s getting on in age but he’s still very strong!”
Making his pitch for Viva Pataca at the end-of-season Champion Awards, Moore said: “I think that might make him favourite for the Horse of the Year title now. The fact that he keeps winning these big races season after season has to be recognised,” Moore declared in the aftermath.
“And it was a strong win considering how he was held up at the top of the straight with horses coming back on him, but he got to the line strongly once Weichong got him into the clear and it showed that Viva Pataca is still the king at these distances of 2000m and above.”
Clearly swayed by Beadman’s decision to partner Collection, Viva Pataca started a 7/4 second favourite with the latter, moving beyond ten furlongs for the first time, supported into a shade of odds-on as the stalls opened.
“Collection ran well in defeat but he hasn’t got the same mileage as Viva Pataca over the mile-and-a-half. Collection will have a break now but the plan is still to take him to Australia for the Cox Plate in October,” Moore added.
Proud of Thumbs Up’s effort in second place, but also a little frustrated at having to settle for third minor placing in as many Group 1 races, trainer Danny Shum said: “He never runs a bad race. He’s so consistent. That’s it now for the season and next year I might look for him to go for the [Cathay Pacific Hong Kong] Vase at this distance. He has proved that he’s a top class stayer.”
Last year’s victor, Packing Winner, could only finish sixth having endured a very wide trip.
