HONG KONG: Ramonti, ridden by superstar jockey Frankie Dettori, beat clear favourite Viva Pataca yesterday to win the Hong Kong International Cup, the highlight of the city's glittering annual meeting.
Europe's champion miler out-sprinted the local favourite to clinch the 20-million Hong Kong dollar prize at the International Races, the premier race day for the horse-crazy territory.
Ramonti, from the Godolphin stable, was stepping up in distance in the 2,000-metre race and hit the front inside the final 200 metres on the fence before holding the surging Viva Pataca at bay to win by half a length. Dettori had to sweat it out before finally lifting the silverware after surviving an objection lodged by Viva Pataca's jockey, Michael Kinane, on the grounds of interference in the final 350 metres.
Third was France's Musical Way, who finished three lengths behind Ramonti — trained by United Arab Emirate's Saeed bin Suroor —in the seven-horse field. "Ramonti is the toughest and bravest horse I've ridden," said Italian Dettori after the race. "He was all class and I'm really pleased with this victory."
Second favourite before the race, five-year-old Ramonti ran third in the Hong Kong International Mile last year and there had been doubts he would have the stamina to go the distance. Hong Kong champion sprinter Sacred Kingdom stormed to victory in the $12 Hong Kong Sprint over 1,200 metres as the home horses grabbed the top three places.
Sacred Kingdom had gone into the race with an impressive record having won the Hong Kong Sprint Trial last month in record time. The four-year-old didn't disappoint as he swept to victory to record an easy two-and-a-quarter-length victory as the odds-on 6-4 favourite. Ridden by Frenchman Gerald Mosse and trained by Hong Kong trainer Ricky Yiu, Sacred Kingdom proved too strong for Absolute Champion and Royal Delight to the line. The biggest disappointment was Australia's Horse of the Year, Miss Andretti, who struggled throughout and finished a well-beaten 10th out of 13.
French jockey Olivier Peslier steered Hong Kong's Good Ba Ba to victory in the $16 Hong Kong Mile after a gripping finish with United Arab Emirates-entrant Creachadoir. Good Ba Ba matched the Dettori-ridden Creachadoir neck-and-neck inside the last 100 metres before the favourite grabbed victory right on the line to win by a short head.
Third home was French-entry Darjina another length behind. Peslier had a magnificent day having earlier piloted Doctor Dino to victory in the International Vase as hot favourite Dylan Thomas finished a disappointing seventh on his final race before stud. Trained in France by Briton Richard Gibson, the five-year-old swept to the lead inside the last 150 metres to beat Great Britain's Quijano and German entrant Bussoni. (AFP) |
