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Vengeance deserves shot on world stage

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Why you can trust SCMP
Murray Bell

Hands up if you think Vengeance Of Rain is an international-class horse? OK, everyone agrees, so when are we going to see Hong Kong's rejuvenated champion stayer strut his stuff on the world stage?

In the wake of Vengeance's rattling third to champion French mare Pride in the HK$20 million Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup last Sunday week there is no doubt trainer David Ferraris has the horse back as good as ever.

Vengeance Of Rain has been afforded a rating of 118 by the international panel of handicappers at their end-of-year conference, which determines the official World Thoroughbred Rankings, to be published next month.

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It's a fair assessment, in the sense that with Vengeance's limited 2006 campaign - a mere three races and only one at a suitable distance - it was impossible to accurately measure him. But you just know there is at least another level in Vengeance that was unexplored this term.

On our Hong Kong speed ratings, Vengeance Of Rain's peak performance was in the 2005 Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup, in which he defeated globetrotting South African colt Greys Inn who, like Vengeance, is a son of New Zealand super sire Zabeel.

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We measured that as a 125 performance and a look back at the depth of that field reminds us just what a crackerjack line-up it was.

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