HONG KONG Horse of the Year Makarpura Star can take a giant step towards establishing himself as the new champion of local racing by winning the $3.5 million Gold Cup at Sha Tin today. The King is dead! Long live the King! Retired champion River Verdon will lead the parade of only seven horses for the Gold Cup today and earn a final rousing cheer from the faithful racegoers who have watched his every move over the past six years. But River Verdon now passes gloriously in to the pages of Hong Kong equine history and we must hail a new champion.
Makarpura Star is Horse of the Year, but the merited accolade delivered at the end of last season did not deserve to be quite as resounding as it was.
And the present campaign started with Mr Vitality staking a major claim as the horse most likely to matter during the nine months of the season. Makarpura Star almost confused the issue by making the journey to Australia in November where his third placing in the Group Three Coongy Handicap is scarcely the stuff of which heroes are made. Makarpura Star's well-being could not have been better demonstrated than in the ATV Cup two weeks ago when, over a distance short of what he needs, sheer class told and he won under a good ride from claimer Peter W. L. Ho. He now steps up to a trip that suits him to perfection at this stage of his preparation and defeat would not lie easy with connections considering upcoming plans for the brilliant five-year-old.
Makarpura Star has his passport ready for America in June and July and that journey would best be undertaken with this race under his belt and possibly a couple more before the season ends. Moore is delighted with the progress of Makarpura Star and said: 'He did win the ATV Cup on class and it was an excellent performance. 'I can only say that I am extremely pleased with the way he has gone since the run and I am certain that he is in great shape for the Gold Cup.' The Gold Cup is the second leg of the Triple Crown, but that is rendered somewhat meaningless this season as Mr Vitality won the Stewards Cup, the first leg, back in November and is not in today's small field of only seven runners.
Makarpura Star will start a short-priced favourite to win and there can be no dispute about his credentials. They are first class. His last run should have brought him to near peak perfection for today's 2,000-metre Gold Cup and South African ace Felix Coetzee gets a chance to shine.
A former champion of his country, Coetzee has rarely had the chances to show just how good he is. He has the right ammunition today and Makarpura Star, if he wins the Gold Cup, is going to be a superb horse to be involved with in a few more big-money races in the concluding months of the season. Ironically, one of his possible dangers today is stablemate Survey King, one of the most fortunate acquisitions for the Moore stable. Originally with Derek Cruz, Survey King has been a superb servant to the Moore yard - he dead-heated with Makarpura Star in last season's Champions and Chater Cup.
And that was no fluke. Survey King has taken time to come to himself, but those who saw his gallop on Tuesday morning could not help but be impressed. That went for his trainer, too. 'It was very good and he will got into the Gold Cup in good shape. I am very pleased with Survey King, too,' said Moore. Moore is certainly not light-handed for the big one with Able Shot also involved but he is at a considerable disadvantage due to the set-weight conditions. Against that, Able Shot has worked well, possibly better than at any time previously.
In the absence through suspension of Basil Marcus, English ace Darryll Holland has landed the plum ride on the Ivan Allan-trained Privilege. This excellent front-running stayer is going to run his usual honest race for those following him. Privilege has galloped some good horses into the ground when they have tried to cut him down. The five-year-old is remorseless in front, galloping on and on and simply refusing to give in. As Allan has said in the past: 'What wouldn't you give for a stable of horses like Privilege?' For his part, Holland is enjoying a superb spell at present and is in tip-top form.
Allan also has Sterling Town involved and he is in great heart at the moment. He finished second last time out to Makarpura Star in the ATV Cup and will certainly appreciate today's 2,000 metres a little more. He has guts aplenty but Sterling Town, at the highest level, may just lack the class necessary.
