Dragon in elite company

4 August 2013

Pins’ outstanding son Ambitious Dragon has earned himself a top 10 place among the best gallopers on the globe. The recently crowned Hong Kong champion miler has been rated seventh-equal on the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings for the period December 1, 2012 to July 14, 2013.

Ambitious Dragon has won three times in Hong Kong this season with his greatest achievement coming in the Gr 1 Hong Kong Mile (1600m) at the international meeting in December for trainer Tony Millard. That victory showed his class when he flew home from near last to beat a top-quality field.

“He’s just a super champion and he can win over any distance,” Millard said. “When I saw him picking them up I thought I hope he does not flatten out but they had gone a good lick so they were stopping.”

Ambitious Dragon is joined in seventh place on the Longines list by fellow Hong Kong galloper Military Attack, the horse who took this year’s Hong Kong Horse of the Year crown after Ambitious Dragon’s two-year reign. Others rated alongside Ambitious Dragon are all Group One winners. Black Caviar, the unbeaten champion mare of Australia, was rated six points ahead of Ambitious Dragon to sit alone at the top of the rankings.

The Corner with Garry Chittick

Well, I got a bit behind last week, with Friday slipping by without realising it; hence no Corner. I have said on too many occasions that negative messages are of no help to anyone, and yet there seems so often a reason to be concerned. Clearly, this week the well-constructed Guerin Report on the threatened downgrade of our Group 1 races demands our attention.

21 October 2026

Vale Ohope Wins, Ocean Park’s tough, kind and courageous daughter

Long before her Oaks double, Ohope Wins’ greatest victory belonged to the Waikato Stud staff and Matamata Veterinary Services vets who saved her as a desperately sick foal. Taken far too soon at Caulfield, her remarkable story is theirs too.