Werther Named Hong Kong's Horse of the Year

Werther claimed the Hong Kong Horse of the Year award following victories in the BMW Hong Kong Derby and the Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup (HK-I), both run at Sha Tin Racecourse this spring.

John Moore's stable star ended his debut Hong Kong campaign with a record of three wins from six starts. The gelding owned by Johnson Chen is ranked at 124 in the latest edition of the LONGINES World's Best Racehorse Rankings, placing him an equal fourth with Nyquist, Maurice, and Postponed. That figure is thanks to the son of Tavistock's imperious 4 1/2-length AP QEII Cup win, in which he defeated star gallopers from Japan, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, and Hong Kong.  

A close second to Sun Jewellery in the Hong Kong Classic Mile and Hong Kong Classic Cup, both local group I races run at a distance of about 1 1/8 miles), Werther came into his own when stepped up in distance to about 1 1/4 miles for his Derby and AP QEII Cup wins. The New Zealand-bred is the fourth horse to have achieved the Derby/QEII double in the same year and those triumphs also clinched this season's champion middle-distance horse award, while the public voted him the season's most popular horse with 39.3% of the vote.

"This is awesome. I can't believe it. I have to say I'm very fortunate. I'm very humbled and most privileged to be receiving this. Special thanks to trainer John Moore for his spearheading the team and engaging Hugh Bowman who rode beautifully for the BMW Hong Kong Derby and Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup," Chen said.

Sun Jewellery was named the season's champion miler. The John Size-trained 4-year-old won four of his six starts, and signed off for the term with a smart win against older rivals in the Premier Cup, a local group III< following his classic mile and classic cup triumphs.

The champion sprinter award went to the Tony Cruz-trained Peniaphobia. The speedster won the Hong Kong Sprint (HK-I) in December and enhanced his reputation with a fine third in Dubai's Al Quoz Sprint (UAE-I). The 5-year-old rounded off his season with a classy success in the Sha Tin Vase.

Blazing Speed claimed the champion stayer award. Also a Cruz stalwart, he won the Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (HK-I), one of only three 1 1/2-mile races staged in Hong Kong, to seal the title. 

Mr Stunning, a 3-year-old from the John Size stable, lived up to his name with three eye-catching wins from only four starts this season and claimed the champion griffin (inexperienced racehorse) award.

Fabulous One received recognition as the season's most improved horse. The Chris So-trained 4-year-old started the campaign on a rating of 46 but five wins from eight starts saw him rocket 61 points up the rankings to end the term on a mark of 107.