Can the King Keep His Crown?

CAN THE KING KEEP HIS CROWN? 
The weather in Hong Kong can only be described as completely unpredictable. Overnight rain continued into the early morning hours, only ceasing as dawn broke. That said, the rest of the morning’s trackwork was dominated by cold winds, threatening dark clouds and even a chill in the normally humid air. Yet it was all bluster as the rain held off and the promised storm never materialized. What the morning did deliver, however, was two very smooth performances from the reigning king and the pretender to the throne. 
Away from the prying eyes of the media and with only a few local photographers as witnesses, last year’s G1 Champions Mile winner, Dan Excel (Ire) (Shamardal), produced a solid piece of work as he galloped from the 1800 meter mark with raceday jockey Tommy Berry in the saddle. Located at the far side of the course, the 1800 meter mark is a lonely place. Here you will find a small coterie of local photographers, sitting on plastic chairs and wiling away the time by reading books on their smart phones. With few horses galloping on the turf, three hours can easily feel like 10. Then a horse appears. A shout of “hey” goes up. Everybody immediately drops their ‘books’ and grabs their cameras, snapping away furiously. Yet, should the uninitiated wander by seconds later, all that he will find is a group of men, lounging on small plastic chairs, quietly reading in complete silence. 
The Hong Kong milers are some of the best in the world, and extremely tough to beat in their own backyard, having won all 10 editions of the Champions Mile. Yet, a similar statistic was true of the G1 Hong Kong Sprint. For years, the brilliant local sprinters dominated the event. Then a bay gelding with corkscrew legs traveled from South Africa to Hong Kong to take on the challenge. His journey spanned three continents and a collective five months in quarantine before finally setting foot in Hong Kong two weeks before the race. His name was J J The Jet Plane (SAf) and on Dec. 12, 2010, his name was recorded in the history books as the first foreign winner of the Hong Kong Sprint. 
This year, another South African horse follows in his footsteps. Variety Club (SAf) (Var), considered the pretender to the Champions Mile throne, also languished in quarantine for five months on three different continents. Fortunately, that was in order to compete in the Dubai World Cup Carnival, and he comes into the Champions Mile after only a short plane ride from the desert. Can he etch his name in history as the first overseas raider to win the Champions Mile and end the dominance of the Hong Kong horses? 
If this morning’s trackwork is anything to go by, he certainly has a good chance. Unlike Dan Excel, Variety Club worked in full view of the media, winding up from the 600 meter mark and finishing the last 400 meters in a speedy :22.6. Trevor Brown, trainer Mike de Kock’s traveling assistant, was justifiably pleased with the entire’s final piece of work. “I think this horse is one of the best milers in the world, but we are taking on the Hong Kong milers on their home turf and that is never easy.” 
To add to his concerns, the computer generated draw for the Champions Mile was announced shortly before Variety Club took to the turf. Variety Club, who is no stranger to high draws, was yet again denied an inside barrier, ending up in gate 12. Fellow raider Gordon Lord Byron (Ire) (Byron {GB}) fared no better, drawing 13, while local star and race favorite Able Friend (Aus) (Shamardal) had to be content with the extreme outside as he drew barrier 14. Japanese hopefulMeiner Lacrima (Jpn) (Chief Bearheart) fared the best of the foreign challengers, drawing barrier five, while French raider Mshawish (Medaglia d’Oro) will jump from barrier seven. These two have completed their final workouts, and a mere stretching of legs was on the cards for Mshawish, with a slow canter around the all-weather, while Meiner Lacrima stayed in the Quarantine Stables. Able Friend’s long-awaited final workout is expected to take place tomorrow, weather permitting of course, and in Hong Kong, I certainly wouldn’t bet on it.