https://www.scmp.com/rss/315991/feed The 2015 Champions Mile is a Group One race, run over 1,600m, for horses aged three years or over held on May 3, 2015. With prize money of HK$14 million, it is a target for overseas horses, although Hong Kong's strength at a mile means it has become a less attractive target in recent years. Nevertheless, 2014 saw the first international winner, South Africa's Variety Club. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Everyone else might be excited about the prospects of Luger stretching or even beating Able Friend in the Group One Champions Mile at Sha Tin this afternoon but a long career in training has taught John Size that one of the basics is not to put the cart before the horse. Size has been a Champions Mile winner before and on both sides of the fence - Electronic Unicorn's win in 2003 had more in common with the expectations on Able Friend today, but his 2009 success with Sight Winner was a 64-1... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1784496/trainer-john-size-keeps-lugers-champions-mile-hopes-check?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1784496/trainer-john-size-keeps-lugers-champions-mile-hopes-check?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 May 2015 16:29:07 +0000 Able Friend strikes an imposing figure when walking out for trackwork each morning and performs his trademark pause, ears pricked, at the edge of the track. He also has the racetrack record to match the body builder physique, but by nature he is so quiet trainer John Moore reckons "a kid could ride him". Descriptions of Able Friend's exploits usually include the words "monster" or "giant" - but rarely "gentle", "intelligent" let alone "lazy" - yet that is how the people closest to the world's... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1784329/willing-and-able-friend-champions-mile-favourite-will-be-centre?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1784329/willing-and-able-friend-champions-mile-favourite-will-be-centre?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 May 2015 14:45:45 +0000 There have been some famous upsets in match races, but jockeys Zac Purton and Joao Moreira are not feeling any extra pressure going into the Champions Mile. In Australia, when anyone sees a Group One match race, the first response is usually two words - Dandy Andy. The 1988 Australian Cup was a match of New Zealand's champion, Bonecrusher, and Australia's superstar, Vo Rogue, until Dandy Andy whooshed home at 125-1 in an upset that entered folklore. Small fields usually mean someone gets the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1783607/lugers-zac-purton-and-able-friends-joao-moreira-relaxed-ahead-champions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1783607/lugers-zac-purton-and-able-friends-joao-moreira-relaxed-ahead-champions?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 May 2015 15:30:00 +0000 Officials for England's premier race meeting, Royal Ascot, will roll out the red carpet for Able Friend should the world's equal-highest rated horse do as expected and win Sunday's Champions Mile at Sha Tin. Trainer John Moore said a trip to Royal Ascot to take on Europe's best in the Queen Anne Stakes is contingent on a win in this weekend's HK$14 million Group One. That's what makes it one of the great sporting gestures we've ever seen in racing. They'll be coming purely to carry Hong Kong's... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1779583/able-friend-get-royal-ascot-inviteif-he-continues-his-winning-way?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1779583/able-friend-get-royal-ascot-inviteif-he-continues-his-winning-way?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2015 14:15:00 +0000 Follow @AndrewNJHawkins All racing eyes around the world turn to Hong Kong and to Sha Tin on Sunday for the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup, a race that shapes as a gladiatorial contest between our best middle distance horses and international raiders from Australia, France, Japan and the United Kingdom. But what if racegoers and punters weren’t just treated to an exciting QE II Cup, but also had the opportunity to see the mouthwatering clash between Able Friend and Luger in the Champions Mile? Four... https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1774870/why-hong-kong-racing-needs-champions-mile-return-qe-ii-cup-day?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1774870/why-hong-kong-racing-needs-champions-mile-return-qe-ii-cup-day?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2015 14:36:33 +0000 The colossal shadow of the world's joint top-rated racehorse, Able Friend, has left the Jockey Club unable to attract a foreign runner to the HK$14 million Champions Mile next month for the first time since it became an international event. The Group One Champions Mile was lifted from a domestic event to an international in 2005, the occasion etched indelibly in history as the first defeat for Silent Witness, and the race attracted three foreign runners even then. We came up empty this year,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/1767164/able-friend-frightens-foreign-raiders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/1767164/able-friend-frightens-foreign-raiders?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2015 15:00:15 +0000 Follow @AndrewNJHawkins With Dubai done and dusted, there’s a mini interval on the international stage – well, except for the fledgling The Championships in Sydney – but soon after, the intermission will be over and Hong Kong’s spring features, the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup and the Champions Mile, will be upon us. The field for the QE II Cup (April 26) will be announced next week, the Champions Mile (May 3) the week after. There’s just one problem – there’s not going to be too much... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1754179/wanted-international-gallopers-run-hong-kongs-spring-features?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1754179/wanted-international-gallopers-run-hong-kongs-spring-features?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2015 07:52:34 +0000