Able Friend One to Beat in Champions Mile
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Able Friend, who currently sits atop the World's Best Racehorse Rankings with U.S.-based Shared Belief, is primed and ready for the Champions Mile (HK-I) May 3 at Sha Tin, trainer John Moore said.
Moore will saddle four of the seven contenders for the HK$14 million race, including 2013 Champions Mile victor Dan Excel, the much-improved Rewarding Hero, and Secret Sham.
Able Friend heads into race on a five-race win streak, with three at the top level. His previous start, although producing an expected win in the Chairman's Trophy, a local group II at the course and distance, lacked just enough of his usual dominance to send a splash of hope in the direction of his rivals.
"I'm expecting Able Friend to run a lot better than he did last start," said Moore of the 5-year-old Shamardal gelding. "When you've got these champions everyone is expecting them to go out and win by margins. Look at Black Caviar when she won in England, it was a head-bobber there and people said she wasn't so special!
"I really hadn't put my foot down, with respect to his prep for that last race. Being a big fellow that he is, he needs to keep ticking over to keep that fitness level required to perform at the top level. This time he's going in a really fit horse. He looks really well in the coat and (jockey) Joao (Moreira) mentioned after his work at the end of last week that he thought he was the best he's been for a long time."
Moore has an outstanding record in the Champions Mile having won five of the past eight renewals (2007 and 2010 with Able One, 2011 and 2012 with Xtension, 2013 with Dan Excel). One of those past winners, Dan Excel will take his chance again on Sunday, although the tough 7-year-old Shamardal gelding's main target this season is a repeat win in next month's Singapore Airlines International Cup (Sin-I) at Kranji.
The Champions Mile also will feature the Tony Cruz-trained Beauty Flame, who has been runner-up to Able Friend in each of his last three starts, and BMW Hong Kong Derby winner Luger.