International update:

Japanese brother to Jazil, Rags to Riches
may be shipped to New York for the Belmont

The New York Racing Association reports strong interest from Japanese media in anticipation that Casino Drive will be sent to the Belmont Stakes.

The Kentucky-bred won a maiden race in February at Kyoto, defeating 12 opponents by 11½ lengths while running nine furlongs in 1:54 2/5. (Sounds slow, but we have no Kyoto figs available.)

Casino Drive is by Mineshaft, whose sire, A.P. Indy won the Belmont Stakes and was Horse of the Year in 1992. His dam is the Deputy Minister mare Better Than Honour, who dropped the last two respective Belmont Stakes winners, Jazil and Rags to Riches.

Strong Fields for QEII Cup, Champions Mile in Hong Kong

From the Hong Kong Jockey Club

This year's Audemars Piguet QEII Cup, title-sponsored for the tenth consecutive year by the master Swiss watchmakers, is a HK$14-million International Group 1 event scheduled for Sunday 27 April at Sha Tin.

Originally named the Queen Elizabeth II Cup, the race was first run on in 1975 to commemorate the visit to Hong Kong by Queen Elizabeth II and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip. The inaugural winner, Nazakat, was an outsider and its owner received the Cup from Her Majesty after the race.

The Queen Elizabeth II Cup was open to international competition in 1995, when UAE representative Red Bishop was steered to victory by renowned Irish jockey Michael Kinane.

In 1999, the Queen Elizabeth II Cup was accorded International Group 2 status by the International Cataloguing Standards Committee and secured its first ever sponsorship from world-known Swiss watchmakers Audemars Piguet. Hence, the race was renamed the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup with its prize money raised to HK$5.35 million and Jim And Tonic partnered with Gerald Mosse to win the race on good to fast ground in 2:00.1, setting a 2000-meter turf course record that remains unbroken. The French raider then went on to snatch the International Group 1 Hong Kong Cup in December of that year.

The prize money of the race was increased to HK$7 million in 2000, when Jim And Tonic failed to defend his title going down by a short head to Industrialist. However, he managed to defeat Housemaster by the same margin, preventing the home team from landing a quinella. In a three-way finish, the mounts of Alan Munro, Gerald Mosse and David Harrison battled hard in one of the most typically spectacular endings in the history of Hong Kong racing.

In 2001, the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup was promoted to International Group 1 with prize money increased to HK$10 million. Jim And Tonic competed in the race for the third time but was defeated by Silvano, the only win a German horse has scored in this race.

In 2002, the Cup gained inclusion in the World Racing Championships as the second leg of the series and its prize money was increased to HK$14 million. From 2003 to 2005, the race was run as the first leg of the World Racing Championships.

In the 1999/2000 season, The Hong Kong Jockey Club introduced a HK$- million bonus for the winner of any of the four Hong Kong International Races who goes on to land the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup in the same season.

It was not until 2002 that Eishin Preston, from Japan, finally completed a double in the Hong Kong International Races and the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup. After capturing the Hong Kong Mile in December 2001, the Japanese contender returned in April to start in the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup. He kicked strongly in the straight and defeated his teammate Agnes Digital, victor of the 2001 Hong Kong Cup and, in 2003, Eishin Preston became the first and only horse to win the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup back to back.

In 2005, the then reigning Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby winner Vengeance Of Rain claimed the race from South African representative Greys Inn, another son of his sire Zabeel. The pair by the same sire set a record for the race in achieving a quinella. In December 2005, Vengeance Of Rain landed the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup and was crowned champion of the World Racing Championships that year.

In 2006, Greys Inn's trainer and jockey Mike De Kock and Weichong Marwing returned for the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup with Irridescence. The South African champion mare's original plan had been to race held up, but the running of the race demanded her to make all before defeating local contender Best Gift by a head. Irridescence was the first South African representative to win the race since London News's victory in 1997.

The quality of the Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby was once again confirmed in the 2007 Audemars Piguet QE II Cup as the John Moore-trained Viva Pataca was steered by Michael Kinane to produce a brilliant turn of foot to beat two Group 1 winners - Vengeance Of Rain and Admire Moon who prevailed in the Dubai Sheema Classic and the Dubai Duty Free at Nad Al Sheba less than a month earlier.

The standard of the QE II Cup has been drastically raised ever since it was first sponsored by Audemars Piguet. It is now one of the most prestigious races on the international racing calendar. The partnership between Audemars Piguet and The Hong Kong Jockey Club has indeed set a successful example in the world's sporting arena.

Several of world's best milers and middle-distance thoroughbreds are among the selections for this month’s renewal of QEII Cup and Champions Mile.
Top class horses, featuring 11 individual Gr.1 winners from Japan, New Zealand, Europe, South Africa and Hong Kong, will converge at Sha Tin in a terrific Group 1 double-bill on Sunday, 27 April.

"We are looking forward to hosting one of the most important fixtures on the international racing calendar and the quality and diversity of both line-ups hold two fascinating races in store," said Bill Nader, the Hong Kong Jockey Club's Executive Director of Racing.

"Viva Pataca will be strongly fancied to defend his title. Leading the challenge from overseas is Matsurida Gogh who defeated Japan's finest middle distance and staying performers in the country's biggest race, the Arima Kinen, last December. But we should also pay close attention to Archipenko, perhaps a little unfortunate not to win the Dubai Duty Free in which he was a fast finishing third.

"Home-based Good Ba Ba shoots for a remarkable fourth consecutive Group 1 victory in the Champions Mile but will have to be at his very best to beat a resurgent Armada. The local defence is particularly strong and supports the growing belief that Hong Kong is home to some of the very best milers in the world."

Selections for the Audemars Piguet QEII Cup

Group 1 - 2000m - HK$14 million (approx US$1.8m)

The last ten editions of this race place Hong Kong level with their counterparts from overseas with five wins apiece. The foreign raiders have hailed from South Africa, France, Germany and Japan (twice).

o Viva Pataca - Five-time Gr.1 winner, including a comfortable success in this race last year. Runner-up in both Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup and the Dubai Sheema Classic this season.

o Matsurida Gogh - Surprise winner from an all-star line-up in the Arima Kinen in Tokyo last Christmas. Subsequently successful at Gr.2 level.

o Archipenko- Fast finishing third in the Dubai Duty Free last start and was unlucky not to have finished closer. Should relish the extra distance at Sha Tin.

o Quijano -Germany's highest-rated horse; runner-up in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Vase and fourth in the Dubai Sheema Classic.

o Hello Pretty - Back after a long layoff to hint at his potential to reproduce the form that won the Cathay Pacific International Cup Trial in 2006.

o Jackpot Delight - Runner-up to Helene Mascot in the Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby last month and then ran Armada to just a neck at his last start.

o Helene Mascot - Confirmed his billing as a star of the future by winning the Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby last month, his second major in just three local starts.

o Sir Slick - Five-time Gr.1 winner voted the 'People's Champion' in New Zealand last season where he is also the Champion Middle Distance Horse.

o Balius - Consistent Group performer in France with five Listed successes to his credit.

o Bullish Cash - Very easy winner of the Premier Plate last month and fast improving through the ranks.

o Viva Macau - Gr.1 placed in France and Hong Kong.

o Musical Way - Third in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup on her most recent visit to Sha Tin and she's a multiple Pattern winner, including the Gr.2 Prix Dollar.


Selections for the Champions Mile

Group1 - 1600m - HK$8 million (approx US$1.029m)

Despite being opened to international runners in 2005, this race has developed into a private battle between Hong Kong's best milers with the home-based team filling the first four positions in its three editions to date.

o Armada - Showed he was returning to his best after a year on the sidelines in the Chairman's Trophy and capable of posting further improvement in the Champions Mile.

o Good Ba Ba - Clearly Hong Kong's best miler this season so far and now bidding for a fourth straight victory at the highest level.

o Bullish Luck - Elder statesman of international racing in Hong Kong and successful in this race in 2005 and 2006; he also added a Gr.3 in February.

o Floral Pegasus - Gr.1 winner locally over the mile distance and always figures thereabouts in these major international events.

o Joyful Winner - Third in this race in 2006 and second last year - can this dual Gr.1 winner go one better in 2008?

o Wise Dennis - Dual Listed winner who won twice at this year's Dubai International Carnival.

o Able One - Defending titleholder who benefited from the ride of the season to make all in this event last year.

o Joy And Fun - Last season's Champion Griffin in Hong Kong.

o Green Birdie - Successful in the Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby Trial before a creditable third in the Derby itself last month.

o Meiner Segal - Gr.3 winner of the Fuji Stakes over 1600m in Tokyo.

o Dao Dao - Impressive last start winner who has yet to finish out of the quinella in nine runs in Australia and HK up to a mile.