By Alan Carasso
Winner of four in a row and a leading candidate for Horse of the Year honors in Hong Kong, Rapper Dragon (Aus) (Street Boss) will start a hot favourite in Sunday's G1 Champions Mile at Sha Tin. But Beauty Only (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) can also stake his claim to that title with a victory and looks primed to cause the minor upset.
Winner of two of his seven starts this season, including a defeat of an unlucky Helene Paragon (Fr) (Polan {Fr}) in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile in December, the six-year-old is winless in his three starts since, but turned in a solid prep for the Champions Mile when running Rapper Dragon to a half-length in the G2 Chairman's Trophy over the course and distance Apr. 9. In that test, Beauty Only was carrying a five-pound penalty and looked to have his momentum stalled on a few occasions late when Rapper Dragon ran around a bit greenly. It's level weights Sunday and Beauty Only can reverse form with a well-timed ride, providing he gets his preferred sound surface.
“I'm very happy with him, he's ready, and if the rain stays away he's got a big chance,” said trainer Tony Cruz, who will give a leg up to Zac Purton.
Instead of remaining at the 2000m following his sweep of the 4-year-old series in the Hong Kong Derby Mar. 19, Rapper Dragon was programmed for this event and did what he needed to do in the Chairman's Trophy despite those wayward stretch antics. There figures to be little margin for error, but the chestnut flashed home in :23.3 in his pre-race fast work Thursday and jockey Joao Moreira is full of confidence.
“I've said it before, but I do think at the moment, he's the best in Hong Kong,” he commented. “His gallop was exactly what you'd want three days out from a race.”
Helene Paragon bounced back from his tough-luck loss in the Hong Kong Mile to win the G1 Stewards' Cup in January, but he will have to do much better than his four-lengths' seventh in the Chairman's Trophy. For his part, trainer John Moore is looking for a much better effort.
“He's really impressed me in his work this week. If he bounces back, he's right amongst it,” said the Australian conditioner, in search of a seventh win in the race.
The Champions Mile has attracted two foreign gallopers, both owned by Hong Kong connections. The Ed Walker trains 2016 G3 Craven S. hero Stormy Antarctic (GB) (Stormy Atlantic) for Siu Pak Kwan, while Sir Michael Stoute sends out Robert Ng's Convey (GB) (Dansili {GB}), recent winner of the G3 Winter Derby (2000m) over the Lingfield all-weather Apr. 14.
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