O’Reilly Filly Leads Derby Market

Ambitious Dragon completed a spectacular season when he put paid to a stellar field in last night’s Gr 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Sha Tin.

The crack son of WS stallion Pins accounted for a star-studded line-up of international gallopers for a Hong Kong record-equalling seventh victory of the racing term.

Slow to begin under jockey Douglas Whyte, the four-year-old settled well back in the running and was 10th along the fence with 800 metres to run until he angled between horses into the straight. Ambitious Dragon showed his trademark turn of foot to go clear and lifted the prestigious title by three-quarters of a length from California Memory and Mighty High.

Off the back of outstanding top-flight wins in the Classic Cup and the Hong Kong Derby, Ambitious Dragon last night defeated a field that also included recent Gr.1 Dubai World Cup hero Victoire Pisa, from Japan; the winner of America’s Gr.1 Oak Tree Goodwood Stakes Gitano Hernando along with recent Gr.1 Dubai Duty Free placegetters River Jetez and Wigmore Hall.

Trained by Tony Millard, Ambitious Dragon is owned by Hong Kong business man Johnson Lam who has been racing horses since 1965. The winner of seven of his 12 starts, he is out of Oregon mare Golden Gamble who is from the family of the Gr 2 Concorde Handicap winner Needuask, who also finished runner-up in the Gr 1 Railway Handicap.