Draw favours Tiber in clash of great rivals

Dazzling British import Tiber is set to displace Hong Kong Mile winner Lucky Owners as favourite for the Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby after the dice rolled his way at yesterday's barrier draw. The John Moore-trained horse came up with pole position for the Group One classic, while his rival will begin from stall 10 at the tricky 2,000 metre start.

'I couldn't be happier,' said a beaming Moore. 'Douglas Whyte will be able to relax Tiber and track the leaders, stay out of trouble to the turn and then we just need a bit of luck to get out into the open and let him release that turn of foot Tiber showed in the Classic Mile.'

In fact, although the barriers are reversed this time, the draw promised a virtual replay of the Classic Mile, when his ability to position in front of Lucky Owners and quick acceleration enabled Tiber to gain a break on the favourite and beat him.

Jockey Felix Coetzee looked despondent when the David Hayes-trained Ain't Here emerged with gate four, leaving only the 10 box unclaimed and Lucky Owners the only horse remaining. 'There are some hot horses drawn inside me and it's not going to be easy,' he said. 'The horse has the speed to go forward, but I don't want to do that and be caught wide. I've got a lot of thinking to do. But racing can be a funny thing. I was delighted when he drew barrier one in the Classic Mile, but it ended up costing him the race.'

Trainer Tony Cruz, with three starters, was less concerned in his assessment: 'It's not a problem. Lucky Owners can be ridden anywhere in a field. I'd say, from that draw, he'll be midfield with cover. Raider in barrier six isn't so important because he has to be ridden quietly anyway, but I'm not sure how to tell his owner, Allan Zeman, that Lucky Paradise drew 12.'

Recent Derby history shows victories for horses starting from gates two, three, 11 and 13 since the distance was altered from 1,800m to 2,000m four years ago.

Anton Marcus (Shane) said he was happy to go into the race with a nice draw and a lower profile horse in Moore's second string: 'The horse worked very well with Tiber on Wednesday morning. He's not one of the top fancies so there is no pressure on us. I can ride him with a bit of confidence and hope he can put in his best performance.'

Likewise past Derby winner David Oughton (Roosevelt) said he was not unhappy going in as an underdog: 'On his form in Ireland or in the Hong Kong Vase, Roosevelt is the forgotten horse of the race. He hasn't had a conventional preparation, but luckily, despite his size, he isn't a horse that needs a lot of work. The two barrier isn't an issue as he goes back and he isn't bothered being inside runners.'

Also three-handed is David Hayes, who was disappointed when Beethoven (11) drew out and Ain't Here drew inside: 'It wasn't so important for Ain't Here because he'll get back, but Beethoven would have made better use of an inside gate - really I would have liked to swap those two around. But Magic Mail was okay in seven.'

Ivan Allan's Saturn came up with barrier eight, pleasing part-owner Dominic Li, who had hoped for 'somewhere between three and nine', while the John Size-trained Liberal's Choice (Shane Dye) drew well in gate three. 'I'm happy with that,' Size said. 'He'll be in the first few, that's how he races, and hopefully he'll have one to follow.'