Battling Dan excels in Champions Mile triumph

05/05/2013 18:35

Dan Excel is one of the most consistent horses racing in Hong Kong and the game five-year-old capped a memorable afternoon for trainer John Moore at Sha Tin today, Sunday 5 May, with a battling victory in the G1 Champions Mile.

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  Jubilant connections of Dan Excel celebrate their victory after the race.

The win marks the second Sunday in succession that Moore has carried off a major international prize following Military Attack’s triumph in last week’s G1 APQEII Cup; and the trainer was delighted as Dan Excel gave him his fourth G1 Champions Mile without reply and fifth overall.

“Again, two cup races today and four Champions Miles in a row – I’m over the moon,” said the handler, who barely had time to savour Dominant’s earlier win in the day’s other Pattern race, the HKG3 Queen Mother Memorial Cup.

Dan Excel has knocked on the door several times in major events this term. Second to Glorious Days in the HKG1 Stewards’ Cup in January, he filled the same berth in his lead-up race last month behind Packing Whiz in the HKG2 Chairman’s Trophy. Those two rivals headed the Champions Mile betting but were left scrapping over the minor places at the finish as Moore’s charge broke well from the inside gate. Weichong Marwing’s mount enjoyed a dream run tracking the pace-setting Helene Spirit, ridden by Matthew Chadwick.

“I thought maybe Helene Spirit might lead but I thought King Mufhasa would go on and we’d probably end up in the box seat,” said Moore, “but the whole complexion of the race changed once Caspar Fownes’ horse (Helene Spirit) took the running; in fact he went further into the straight than I expected, actually he went right to the winning line and made a race of it.”

And what a race he crafted. Chadwick was motionless on the front end turning for home, finally shaking the reins after the 400m mark at which point Marwing switched Dan Excel off the fence to mount a challenge. The eventual winner headed his determined opponent half-way down the stretch, and after a hammer and tongs scrap to the wire, took the honours by a short-head in 1m 33.42s.

“Drawing gate one won the race for us. He kicked really well and we know he’s a fighter – he doesn’t give up. He’s delivered on the day,” said Moore, who is now hoping his charge can join stablemate Military Attack in the G1 SIA Cup in Singapore in two weeks time.

“I understand he’s on the reserve list (for Singapore) and I think that they’re going to give us a lot of consideration now after seeing that courageous effort. The owner’s very keen and I’m keen so we’ll make the trip if invited.”

Owner David Boehm was thrilled with Dan Excel, a two-time G3 winner in Ireland whose only previous Hong Kong win came in a Class 1 handicap on the final day of last season.

“It’s always any horse owner’s dream to win a Group 1 race, particularly in such a gutsy style. It’s only the second time that I’ve won a Group 1; John and I have raced horses together for 25 years so it means the world. It’s a winner for all of Hong Kong and I’m so happy that the punters here had a good bet on him,” said Boehm, whose exciting three-year-old Secret Sham took the day’s finale.

Marwing said: “He’s been consistent, always running thereabouts, never disgracing himself and it’s nice that the sun has shone on his head for a change. He’s been rewarded for that consistency and it was his race today – I’m very, very happy for the horse.” 

Packing Whiz was unable to utilise his trademark late sprint to full effect as although closing fastest from deep with a final 400m of 23.01s, the Chairman’s Trophy winner could only claim third a further length and a quarter back. Glorious Days took fourth a further neck away.

Kiwi raider King Mufhasa raced prominently until folding on the turn and was found afterwards to have blood in the trachea and was also lame in his left fore. The Moore-trained Xtension, chasing a record third straight Champions Mile win, finished sixth.

Hong Kong Jockey Club Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges was pleased with the quality of the day’s sport.

“If you look at the ratings going into the Champions Mile, the average was 116, so it was a high quality race,” said Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges. “We now have two very strong race meetings in a row with the Audemars Piguet QEII Cup and the Champions Mile and the quality of horseracing in Hong Kong is going from strength to strength. I hope that will continue next year when we will have the Asian Racing Conference here for the Champions Mile.”

fonte: HK Jockey Club