Allan's Indigenous goes straight to top of the HK ratings class

Superb stayer Indigenous yesterday became Hong Kong's highest-rated horse when he was officially re-assessed on the strength of his slashing success in Saturday's $2 million Sha Tin Trophy.

Indigenous is now on 140 points - up eight points for the win - which puts him seven points above Horse Of The Year Oriental Express (also from Ivan Allan's stable), who makes his seasonal re-appearance at Happy Valley tomorrow night.

And even if Oriental Express easily accounts for the field in the featured Happy Valley Vase, he is not likely to be on a level rating with Indigenous when senior handicapper Martyn Stewart assesses the race.

'It's a terms race, not a handicap, and Oriental Express is rated so far in front of the field he faces that it is unlikely he would go up very much,' said Stewart.

Oriental Express came down six ratings points in the close-season reshuffle. He was on 139 for his last Hong Kong appearance of the season in the Chairman's Prize but then ran brilliantly behind Takei Shuttle in the Yasuda Kinen in Tokyo on June 15, the final day of the season.

'We did take that into account but his international rating of 114 was not changed by the International Handicapping Committee, not least because the Yasuda Kinen is not an international Group One race. It is a domestic Group One event,' said Stewart.