News

Sacred Kingdom crowned Horse of the Year

11th Jul 2010

Sacred Kingdom, a three-time Group One winner this season was crowned Horse of the Year as well as Champion Sprinter at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Champion Awards presentation ceremony today (11 July) during the final Sha Tin race meeting of the 2009/2010 season. He was also again voted Most Popular Horse of the Year.

Douglas Whyte was voted Most Popular Jockey of the Year for the fifth time.

Sacred Kingdom earned the title of Champion Sprinter for the third year in succession. During the 2009/2010 season, the Ricky Yiu-trained sprinter won the G1 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint, then the HKG1 Kent & Curwen Centenary Sprint Cup and the HKG1 Chairman's Sprint Prize.

Able One was named Champion Miler. Trained by John Moore, Able One has had his career blighted by a series of stress fractures which prevented him from reaching his true potential after his upset win in the 2007 Champions Mile, and it was only this season that he made a full recovery. It was in the HKG2 Chairman's Trophy that he first showed he was back to something like his very best, and he then followed up in the G1 Champions Mile, which was won in exactly the same fashion as that race with a dash of speed early in the straight that no rival was able to pull back.

Collection was honoured as the Champion Middle-Distance Horse. The trainer John Moore's Derby hero last year landed two magnificent victories this season over his favourite Sha Tin 2000m distance: the HKG2 Cathay Pacific International Cup Trial and the HKG1 Citibank Hong Kong Gold Cup. He also split French Derby winner Vision d'Etat and 2009 APQEII Cup winner Presvis in the G1 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup. These performances were the true indicators of his great talent.

Mr Medici won the title of Champion Stayer. After a season marked by consistent improvement over a variety of distances the Peter Ho trained five-year-old produced his crowning achievement when taking the HKG1 Standard Chartered Champions and Chater Cup in particularly testing conditions at Sha Tin on 30 May.

Entrapment was declared Champion Griffin. After six consecutive victories from his debut in February, the John Size trained three-year-old gelding ran out a very easy winner of his final outing in the Juvenile Sprint Trophy, a success which meant he had broken the Hong Kong record for most wins in a single season, an achievement which effectively ended argument about his superiority over an exceptional group of rivals.

John Size captured his sixth Champion Trainer's title with 74 winners. Among his most prolific horses were the then record-equalling Brave Kid with six victories and the record-breaking Entrapment.

The Champion Jockey and Champion Apprentice Jockey titles, as well as the Most Improved Horseand winner of the 2008 Hong Kong International Sale Bonus of HK$1 million, remain to be decided and will be made known at Wednesday's final race meeting at Happy Valley.

Members of the public cast a total of 350,146 votes between 13 June and 4 July to decide the Most Popular Horse and Most Popular Jockey of the Year. The three horses and jockeys with the highest number of votes were as follows:

Most Popular Horse (174,927 votes)

1. Sacred Kingdom - 48,026
2. Viva Pataca - 19,710
3. Good Ba Ba - 15,902

Most Popular Jockey (175,219 votes)

1. Douglas Whyte - 74,647
2. Brett Prebble - 54,403
3. Matthew Chadwick - 9,166

The Judging Panel announced the 2009/2010 Champion Awards as follows: Award | Winner | Owner | Trainer --------| --------- | --------- | -------- : Horse of the Year | Sacred Kingdom | Sin Kang Yuk | Ricky P F Yiu Most Popular Horse of the Year | Sacred Kingdom | Sin Kang Yuk | Ricky P F Yiu Champion Sprinter | Sacred Kingdom | Sin Kang Yuk | Ricky P F Yiu Champion Miler | Able One | Dr and Mrs Cornel Li Fook Kwan | John Moore Champion Middle-Distance | Collection | 07/08 John Moore Trainer Syndicate | John Moore Champion Stayer | Mr Medici | Mr and Mrs Allen Shi Lop Tak | Peter Ho Champion Griffin | Entrapment | Benson Lo Tak Wing | John Size Most Improved Horse | (Yet to be decided) | (To be presented on 14 July race meeting) | - 2008 Hong Kong International SaleBonus | (Yet to be decided) | (To be presented on 14 July race meeting)

Award | Winner : ------- | -------- : Most Popular Jockey of the Year | Douglas Whyte Champion Trainer | John Size Champion Jockey | (Yet to be decided and presented on 14 July) Champion Apprentice Jockey | (Yet to be decided and presented on 14 July)

To recognise excellence in Hong Kong racing, the Champion Awards are organised by The Hong Kong Jockey Club with the Association of Hong Kong Racing Journalists as co-organiser and the Hong Kong Racehorse Owners Association as honorary adviser.