IT was show time last Friday week in Hong Kong when the Australian-bred Able Friend was crowned Horse of the Year. The son of Shamardal also scooped the trophies for champion miler and the most popular horse.

The latter is an award that attracted 129,728 votes from the public, and 59% of them were for the John Moore-trained star who most recently ran at Royal Ascot. In the 2014/15 season in Hong Kong he racked up four Group 1 wins and is the first horse trained there to top the world rankings. His wins at the highest level this year were gained in the Hong Kong Mile, the Stewards’ Cup, the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup and the Champions Mile.

To date his dozen victories have earned his owners, Dr and Mrs Cornel Li Fook Kwan, more than HK$52 million, which today is the equivalent of more than €6 million. He has more than repaid his sale price of Aus$550,000 at the 2011 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.

The exploits of Able Friend are a great advertisement globally for his Kildangan Stud-based sire Shamardal. That champion two-year-old and classic winner has also been represented on the track by his fellow stud mate Casamento, leading young sire Lope De Vega and last year’s Eclipse Stakes winner Mukhadram.

The international scope of breeding and racing was exemplified by the fact that the four main award winning horses were bred in Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Ireland. Falling into the latter category was Designs On Rome. This Moyglare Stud bred son of Holy Roman Emperor started his racing career at Gowran Park when he finished third in a two-year-old maiden. His second run saw him finish fourth behind Helene Super Star, and he was another of the award winners last week when named champion stayer in Hong Kong.

JUVENILE EFFORT

Victory at Naas and another good effort at Tipperary were followed by Designs On Rome’s best juvenile effort, finishing second to Dawn Approach in the Group 1 National Stakes. After that he was off to his new home where he has boosted his career earnings to almost €6 million. He was an even bigger bargain as his trainer Pat Flynn snapped him up at Goffs as a yearling for €10,500. Not too many investments return a 570% dividend!

Designs On Rome was foaled when Summer Trysting, his dam, was 18. He is a half-brother to the American Derby winner Simple Exchange and the Group 2 winner, Sights On Gold, who was runner-up in the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase.

The War Front gelding Helene Super Star started his racing career with Aidan O’Brien, winning a maiden at the Curragh on his debut at two and adding a listed success later that year at Dundalk. He landed the Group 2 UAE Derby at three and was runner-up to Trading Leather in a listed race over 10 furlongs at the Curragh before he embarked on his Hong Kong odyssey.