Veteran trainer John Moore rates Ambitious Dragon equal to the best he has seen race in Hong Kong and says only 'bad luck or ill health' will see the reigning Horse of the Year beaten by his domestic rivals. Moore's stable provides three of Ambitious Dragon's opponents in Sunday's Cathay Pacific Jockey Club Mile at Sha Tin - Xtension, Able One and Destined For Glory - but conceded that only misfortune would see Tony Millard's star defeated. Moore, 61, speaks from authority: he is a six-time premiership winner in Hong Kong and has trained more than 1,200 winners in a career stretching back to 1985. 'Up until what I've seen now, Ambitious Dragon is equal to anything I've seen running around in the past,' Moore said. 'I'm only taking into consideration the horses I'm putting up against him, but what's presently in Hong Kong I don't think could beat him from a mile up to 2,000m or 2,400m. 'Beating him ... even over the mile, that's going to be quite a task. The only way I can see him being beaten is if he got into a serious traffic jam or ill-health.' After winning a record-equalling seven races last season, including the Hong Kong Derby and Queen Elizabeth II Cup, Ambitious Dragon resumed with a scintillating performance in the National Day Cup over the unsuitable distance of 1,400m on October 1. He gave weight to a quality field of sprinters and milers and blew them away with a performance that left no doubt he had returned as good, if not better, than before. Of Moore's entries, Xtension is the obvious danger to Ambitious Dragon and is likely to start second favourite over his pet distance on Sunday, the precursor to the Hong Kong International Races on December 14. The 2011 Champions Mile winner seemed to be approaching his best last time out when second to California Memory in the Sha Tin Trophy. 'I've got him virtually as fit as hands can get him,' Moore said. 'We're probably a few percentage points off full fitness with respect to going into the International Mile, where it's going to be great not to come up against Ambitious Dragon. I'll be glad to see the back of him.' Destined For Glory drops back in distance after a sixth in the Sasa Ladies' Purse and Moore said he would need the race to be run to suit. 'We know what Destined For Glory is capable of off a quick pace,' he said. Tim Clark reunites with Able One after the eight-year-old gave a good kick after leading in the Sha Tin Trophy and hung on gamely for fourth. Clark said there would be natural improvement from that first-up run. 'He went super, they only just caught him and he just peaked on his run,' he said. 'He went into that with two trials, but we knew he would have plenty of improvement left in him.' Millard has elected to go into Sunday second-up with Ambitious Dragon as the lead-up to the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup (2,000m) on December 11, which Moore expects to be the true test of his ability. 'If the international multiple Group One winners are able to acclimatise very quickly, they probably will stretch him,' he said.
