Hong Kong champions named

Hong Kong

Good Ba Ba, a four-time Group One winner this season, was crowned Horse of the Year as well as the champion miler and most-popular horse of the year at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Champion Awards presentation ceremony TuesdaY at the final Sha Tin race meeting of 2007/08.

Douglas Whyte was honoured as the champion jockey and most-popular jockey.

Viva Pataca lifted a double to be named champion middle-distance horse and champion stayer. Sacred Kingdom and Ichiban were chosen as champion pprinter and champion griffin respectively, while the mos-improved Horse award went to Sight Winner.

Even with one more meeting still to be run on Thursday 3 July, trainer John Size, jockey Douglas Whyte and apprentice Marco K L Chui hold an unassailable lead in their categories.

Size captures his fifth champion trainer title in seven seasons in Hong Kong. Whyte, meanwhile, collects the jockeys' premiership for the eighth consecutive year, breaking the previous best of seven championships won by Basil Marcus and Gary Moore. Chui becomes champion ppprentice jockey.

The Champion Awards Judging Panel also decided to present the lifetime achievement Award to Vengeance Of Rain, Horse of the Year in the 2006/07 season, in recognition of his great contribution to Hong Kong racing.