Viva Pataca , a seven-time Group One winner, was crowned Horse of the Year as well as the Champion Middle-Distance and Champion Stayer at the final race meeting in Hong Kong at Sha Tin on Wednesday. 

During the season, Viva Pataca won four Group races and two of those were at the highest level locally, including a second victory in the Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (HK G1-2000m) and a terrific third success in the Citi Champions & Chater Cup (HK G1-2400m). The seven-year-old also finished runner-up in the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup (G1-2000m).

Good Ba Ba once again collected the Champion Miler award. The seven-year-old won the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile (G1-1600m) for a second year in track record time, followed by a second victory in a row in the Citi Stewards’ Cup (HK G1-1600m). At the end of May he was rated the second-highest rated horse in the world with an international rating of 124, the highest ever granted to a HK horse.

Caspar Fownes captured his second Champion Trainer title with 68winners. In addition to the Most Popular Jockey of the Year, Douglas Whyte collected the jockeys’ premiership for the ninth consecutive year with 96 wins, while Matthew Chadwick became Champion Apprentice Jockey in his first Hong Kong debut season with a record-breaking 43 wins.

Permalink| Jul 3, 2009

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