Background & History
Few
racing events in the world match the prominence and prestige accorded
the HK$20-million Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup, the worldˇ¦s richest
turf race over 2000m and the finale of the World Racing Championships until it was suspended in the year 2006.
The CX Hong Kong Cup predates the World Racing Championship and the
current trend towards racing's globalisation by more than a decade.
Staged at first as the Hong Kong Invitation Cup in January 1988 when
overseas entries were confined to Malaysia and Singapore, Flying
Dancer, trained by HK legend Brian Kan Ping-chee, emerged victorious.
In 1989, the Hong Kong Cupˇ¦s invitational list was expanded to include
horses from Australia and New Zealand but the glory went to Singapore
as Colonial Chief, handled by a couple living legends of HK
racing ˇV champion trainer, Ivan Allan, and champion jockey now champion
trainer, Tony Cruz ˇV denied a local success by a short head.
Late in 1989 the meeting was brought forward by a month to its current
slot in mid-December - except for 1992 when the races were postponed
as a equine virus forcing the temporary suspension of racing in Hong
Kong. That season's events were later staged in April 1993.
Horses trained in New Zealand took three of the next four renewals:
Grey Invader (at the meeting's record odds of 72/1) in 1989;
Kessem in 1990 and Romanee Conti in 1993, the year
the race was granted international Gr. 3 status.
In between the Kiwi dominance was a victory by River Verdon,
one of the greatest horses in HK racing history, a HK Derby winner and
still the only horse to land the local Triple Crown, and shortly afterwards
Motivation followed up for HK and trainer John Moore.
1994, the year the race attained Gr.2 status, marked the beginning of
an international dominance with invitations extended to the world's
best. This was when State Taj became the first Australian-trained
winner in Hong Kong and year later the first Japanese victor obliged
in the form of Fujiyama Kenzan.
First Island scored for Britain in 1996 and the next two winners
hailed from the United States: Val's Prince and Midnight
Bet (the latter in track record time) respectively. Incidentally,
no American-based horse has won in HK since.
France got in on the act thanks to its famous
international campaigner, Jim And Tonic, in 1999. This was
when the event was granted full Gr.1 ranking in 1999 and became the
final leg of the Emirates World Series. The Cup's distance was also
increased to 2000m from 1800m the same year.
Fantastic Light ran out the shortest-priced Cup winner (2.9)
in 2000 for Godolphin and Frankie Dettori and Agnes Digital
capped a sensational hat trick for Japanese raiders in 2001.
Hong Kong ended the drought in 2002 as Precision sensationally
prevailed in a three-horse photo finish at odds of 65/1 for trainer
David Oughton and jockey Mick Kinane.
Falbrav turned on perhaps one of the most awesome displays
of raw power the race has witnessed in 2003. From being four lengths
off the speed in midfield as turning for home, he had burned to the
lead by the 200m. Commenting on this burst of acceleration, jockey Frankie
Dettori famously noted: "I nearly peed myself!"
Finally, the tough-as-teak Irish filly Alexander Goldrun just
managed to fend off the late burst by Hong Kong's Bullish Luck
in the 2004.
In 2005, Hong Kong middle distance champion Vengeance Of Rain ran out a brave win over French invader Pride and became the first local trained World Racing Championships winner.
After narrowly edged out by Vengeance of Rain in her first appearance here, Pride returned with a mission and that is to redeem her reputation which she duly obliged by taking the 2006 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup in a tight finish over the 2007 Dubai Duty Free winner Admire Moon.
No horse has ever been able to win the Hong Kong Cup twice and Jim
And Tonic is one of only five horses that have been victorious
in any two of the Hong Kong International Races (although he also won
the Audemars Piguet QEII Cup).
The other dual victors are Monopolize, winner of the Hong Kong
Bowl in 1995 and 1996; Luso (Hong Kong Vase 1996 and 1997); Falvelon, (Hong Kong Sprint in 2000 and 2001) and Silent
Witness (CX Hong Kong Sprint 2003, 2004).
Jim And Tonic, with his 3.8 lengths triumph in 1999, established
the Cup's largest margin of victory.
No trainer or owner has yet achieved two CX Hong Kong Cup wins.
Winners of the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup
| Year |
Horse Name |
Represent Country |
| 1987 |
Flying Dancer (NZ) |
HK |
| 1988 |
Colonial Chief (NZ) |
SIN |
| 1989 |
Grey Invader (NZ) |
NZ |
| 1990 |
Kessem (NZ) |
NZ |
| 1991 |
River Verdon (Ire) |
HK |
| 1992 |
Romanee Conti (NZ) |
NZ |
| 1993 |
Motivation (Arg) |
HK |
| 1994 |
State Taj (USA) |
AUS |
| 1995 |
Fujiyama Kenzan (JPN) |
JAPAN |
| 1996 |
First Island (GB) |
GB |
| 1997 |
Val's Prince (USA) |
USA |
| 1998 |
Midnight Bet (USA) |
JAPAN |
| 1999 |
Jim and Tonic (FR) |
FRANCE |
| 2000 |
Fantastic Light (USA) |
UAE |
| 2001 |
Agnes Digital (USA) |
JAPAN |
| 2002 |
Precision (FR) |
HK |
| 2003 |
Falbrav (IRE) |
GB |
| 2004 |
Alexander Goldrun (IRE) |
IRELAND |
| 2005 |
Vengeance of Rain (NZ) |
HK |
| 2006 |
Pride(FR) |
FR |
