Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (Group 1)

IRISH-BRED Russian Emperor joined a select band of winners of the 12-furlong HK$12 million Group 1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup under a fine Hugh Bowman ride at Sha Tin last Sunday.

Russian Emperor beat the favourite Romantic Warrior by a neck in a stirring battle, to put his name alongside a string of recent dual winners of the final Group 1 of the Hong Kong season - River Verdon, Viva Pataca, Exultant, Indigenous, Oriental Express and Blazing Speed.

Trainer Douglas Whyte was delighted with his star’s latest feat after the regally-bred (by Galileo – Atlantic Jewel and a Royal Ascot winner in 2021 for Aidan O’Brien) gelding swept from fifth place on the turn to cut back Romantic Warrior.

“He’s a superstar of my stable and he’s certainly given me one hell of a ride since he’s joined me,” Whyte said.

“To travel with him and winning in Doha (Amir Trophy in February), and coming back now to repeat that effort on a firm track. You’ve just got to give it all to the horse. When he won in Doha that was probably the highlight of my career, both as a jockey and a trainer.

Ambling along

Whyte added of his jockey: “He makes a difference. They were getting cheap sectionals early, the favourite looked like he was just ambling along and dictating affairs. Hugh sussed that out and got rolling at the right time. He put him to sleep and let things unfold and took advantage of that at the end.”

Bowman said: “I didn’t have a plan, he’s a mile and a half horse and the one trap I didn’t fall into was to be out there to beat Romantic Warrior because he’s a class horse. I had to trust that it would find him out and that’s exactly what happened.

Zac Purton felt Romantic Warrior would have won if the fifth Money Catcher had not pressured him over this longer distance.

“He showed today it’s not his favourite distance, but he tried bloody hard - he was gone at the 600m,” Purton said. “We played our cards and he would have won the race if he didn’t get taken on half a mile from home.”

Germany

COLOGNE staged the Group 2 Mehl-Mulhens-Rennen (German 2000 Guineas) on Monday and an easy six-length victory went to the French-bred Angers for trainer Mario Baratti with Andrea Atzeni doing the steering.

The colt is owned by Uranie Sarl, Pegase Bloodstock Et Al and is by Seabhac, a French-based son of Scat Daddy. The Johnstons were again in the money with second placed Finn’s Charm.

Over the weekend Hoppegarten ran the Group 3 Diana Trial for three-year old fillies over 10 furlongs and the favourite Kassada, a daughter of Sea The Moon, took the honours for Andrasch Starke and trainer Markus Klug, kicking clear two out to win by five lengths for owner/breeders Gestut Rottgen.

British raider Crackovia for Jack Mitchell and Charlie Johnston could only finish fourth.