By Alan Carasso
It is the one race any number of Hong Kong owners want to win, even more so than the International Races. Accordingly, Sunday's BMW Hong Kong Derby carries prize money of HK$18 million, making it more valuable than the GI Kentucky Derby, for example, and a far cry from the HK$30,000 owners were playing for at the beginning of the 'professional' era in Hong Kong in the early 1970s. Because all horses are exported into the region, the Derby is restricted to 4-year-olds from either hemisphere; all carry 126 pounds, despite the fact that runners bred in Australia and New Zealand, have–in theory–a maturity advantage.
The former Gai Waterhouse-trained Rapper Dragon (Aus) (Street Boss) will start in the vicinity of even-money for Sunday's featured event over the 2000 metres, having won the Hong Kong Classic Mile and the Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) in decisive fashion. The chestnut, rated some 14 points clear of his closest rivals and as many as 29 better than the bottom-rated runner, drew gate four and will take all the beating. Trainer John Moore realizes these races are not run on paper, but remains sufficiently bullish on the chances of Rapper Dragon, one of six in the race aiming to give the Aussie his third win in four years and sixth overall. Joao Moreira has the call in search of his first win in the Derby.
“To win all three legs of the series is very hard, we've seen horses go close before but they have come up short in the Derby, but there is something about this horse,” Moore told the Hong Kong Jockey Club's Andrew Hawkins. “It is a different race, because they have the short run to the first turn, but he should be able to lay up and he should be able to steal enough of a break on his main rivals.”
'TDN Rising Star' Pakistan Star (Ger) (Shamardal) caught the imagination of fans all over the world with a pair of sensational victories to begin his career, and while he's visited the winner's enclosure just once in six subsequent tries, he hit the line hard when runner-up in the Classic Cup last time and the stretch out to 10 furlongs should hit him right between the eyes. His drop-out, run-on style mitigates his draw in gate 13, as does the fact that four of the last six winners of the Derby have won the race from 10 or higher, including a pair from stall 14.
Though Rapper Dragon and Pakistan Star should really dominate the market, neither is bulletproof and this year's Derby field has a depth of quality not seen in some time. The following is more a roadmap and less an exercise in handicapping, so as to familiarize our readers with each of the Derby entrants without investing a lot of effort. The BMW Hong Kong Derby is carded as race eight on a 10-race program Sunday at Sha Tin and jumps at 4:35 p.m. local time (4:35 a.m. ET/9:35 a.m. BST).
Click for capsules on each of the 14 Hong Kong Derby runners.
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