With the Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby behind us for another season, the postscript to the race is the new breed of stars that racing has been seeking has to all appearances arrived. Other recent Derbies have produced the likes of top-class Collection and Viva Pataca but only in singles. What looked clear before the Derby of 2010 was that any one of half a dozen horses might emerge as the Derby winner but all of them are capable of emerging as rival stars at the top end of things over the next couple of seasons. In terms of performance ratings, the circumstances of Sunday's classic prevented some of those horses from producing their best form - a horse race is a unique chemistry of everything that goes into it on the day and rarely is it a definitive basis for deciding that one horse is better than another. The slow tempo made a difference to the likes of Brave Kid and King Dancer, so it was no surprise to hear both of their trainers comment along those lines post race. Unfortunately, in most runnings of the Hong Kong Derby that we've witnessed, the tempo isn't strong and the odds stack against some runners as a result - that's racing. Both Brave Kid and King Dancer ran short of what they had been doing in their lead-up events, in truer tempos, and Fair Trade ran well but wasn't able to produce his best form, given his preparation and the difficult run he endured from the outside gate while his main rivals drew more favourably. But did the best horse lose? Super Satin has shown himself in a great light in fast-run races and adapted best to the pace, then roared into a finishing sprint that a champion sprinter would have been proud to own. Any worthwhile research shows that finishing sectional times are impacted by the distance run so it is not reasonable to expect a 2,000m horse to produce a finishing sprint like a 1,400m horse, even if the sectionals are flattered by a slow early speed. Darren Beadman, on Irian, said he tracked Super Satin but the latter simply left his mount chasing shadows when Whyte went for the turbo charge on the winner. Super Satin was able to pull out the same finishing sectional as Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup (1,400m) winner Happy Zero, a sprinter standing at the edge of real stardom and who also came off a pace that was far from strong. Only Fellowship finished faster on the day. We agree, yes, there were reasons to think some of the beaten runners in the Derby will be tougher competition when they meet Super Satin again under different circumstances. That's a good thing for racing and we look forward to the next round. But no one should make the mistake of thinking that Sunday's win was all about the tempo and a race that broke for only one horse.
