Hong Kong Legend Ambitious Dragon Retired
Ambitious Dragon (NZ) (Pins {Aus}–Golden Gamble {NZ}, by Oregon), a dual international Group 1 winner and a two-time Horse of the Year in Hong Kong, has been retired from racing, trainer Tony Millard announced through the Hong Kong Jockey Club Thursday.
Bred by E.P. Lowry, Ambitious Dragon was passed in on a bid of just NZ$47,500 at the 2008 New Zealand Bloodstock Select Yearling Sale, and, after a slow start while under the care of Francis Lui, exploded onto the scene during his 4-year-old season in 2010-11. Possessed of an all-time turn of foot when on song, the bay won seven of his eight trips to the post that season, including a 3/4-length defeat of the classy miler Xtension (Ire) (Xaar {GB}) in that year’s Hong Kong Derby (video) before besting another future local legend, California Memory (Highest Honor {Fr}), in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (video) to lock down the first of his two Horse of the Year titles. Rolled as the even-money favorite in the G1 Hong Kong Cup in late 2011, he cut back to a mile to best Xtension and California Memory in the Stewards Cup before returning to 10 furlongs to handle those two foes yet again in the Hong Kong Gold Cup in early 2012.
Kept at distances mostly around a mile for the balance of his career, Ambitious Dragon was subjected to a veterinary exam on the eve of the 2012 Hong Kong Mile, but was passed fit to run and came with a stinging rally on the grandstand side for a comfortable victory over Glorious Days (Aus) (Hussonet) (video). He tacked on a brillant victory in the 2013 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup over 1400 meters (video), arguably one of the best performances of his storied career.
Sidelined for 18 months with a tendon injury preparing for the 2013-14 season, the ‘Dragon’ made it back to the races last fall at the age of eight and gave his legion of fans a thrill with a third-place effort to Able Friend (Aus) (Shamardal) in the G2 Jockey Club Mile. But he was scratched with a foot injury on the eve of one final try in December’s Hong Kong Mile and was fifth in a pair of subsequent runs. He retires with 13 wins and seven minor placings from 30 career starts and earnings of HK$58,722,850 (US$7,553,264).
“In my opinion, he is as good as you get, and why I say that is because he was so versatile,” said Millard. “I have yet to see a horse, in my time here in Hong Kong, win Group 1 races [domestic and international] at 1400 meters, 1600 meters, 1800 meters and 2000 meters. I haven’t seen another horse do that in the 16 years I’ve been here. That type of versatility you just don’t get, and that is why a champion has no distance–that horse is a champion, he can do it–and that, to me, was Ambitious Dragon.”