Twelve months ago, Able One was supposed to be the pacesetting winner of the $20 million Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile but was taken out at the gates with an injury, and yesterday he was supposed to be the pacesetter with little chance of turning around some sub-par form but the veteran enlisted the help of another in Jeff Lloyd and gave John Moore a shock win. A shock to the stable as much as the public, with the 66-1 chance staving off the unlucky visitor Cityscape by a neck with Moore's considerably better-fancied Xtension just failing to snatch second after some hard luck tales of his own in the richest 1,600m race on the planet. 'I think he's the most amazing horse I've trained - he's more setbacks than any three horses,' said Moore, who now needs only a Vase win to complete his set of Hong Kong Internationals. 'After all the stress fractures and the things he has gone through I guess it makes a statement about what a great team we have to send him out in such good condition today to win it but it is a surprise. 'I thought he would go out and make the pace as he did when he was a younger horse, but when Flying Blue went along pretty slick, Jeff was able to drop in behind that horse and let Flying Blue break the wind and that is how Able One loves to race now that he's an old horse.' Lloyd said he tried to put out of his mind during the race that he was riding a brittle nine-year-old as the fairytale result unfolded perfectly. 'He can be a bit keen in races but when the leader went along, Able One was just flowing around the turn and going as well as any horse could be,' Lloyd said. 'I don't think about my age, I just get on with the job, and I just tried to forget that he was Able One and that he was this age and had had so many problems.' Though the oldest jockey in the race jockey admitted he had given the oldest horse at the race meeting some chance after his work had improved following a minor setback in November. 'I spoke to Darren Beadman about him and we agreed that he's been moving pretty well lately and when you get these great old horses stretching out and going all right, well, you know they have been there and done it many times before and they can produce on the big day,' Lloyd said. 'I've ridden plenty of big winners but this is my greatest thrill - not too many have been on nine-year-olds.' It might be hard to replicate with another horse, but according to owner Dr Cornel Li, Able One's long injury list is what keeps him young. 'He hasn't been used up much because he is always resting,' he smiled after the bombshell victory gave him a third international Group One to add to his Champions Mile wins of 2007 and 2010, along with several lesser Group wins. 'After all these years that he can still do it again, 'I am totally delighted. My son said to me last night that John Moore had not even tipped Able One a place, but he thought he could win it with Xtension, so I said I'm going to beat him and win it.' 'Always resting' is not quite accurate but there is no doubting Able One's capacity for finding a problem is even greater than most good gallopers - leg and foot lameness issues are listed on his vet record, along with stress fractures to his right foreleg (twice) and hind leg as well as his left hind leg in the injury that saw him taken out at the barriers in 2010. Moore said he will recommend retirement for Able One at the conclusion of the season but in the meantime is even toying with an overseas trip to Dubai. Cityscape had a sad story after racing wide throughout while Beadman said Xtension just got baulked taking a run in the straight before finding the line strongly
