Unfancied Snow Fairy takes Hong Kong Cup

Britain’s unfancied Snow Fairy galloped to a narrow victory in the Hong Kong Cup yesterday, the richest of four meetings at the eight-million-US-dollar Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races.

Top jockey Ryan Moore pulled off a surprise win in the 2,000-metre race, edging out Hong Kong’s Irian by a nose with Olivier Doleuze riding Packing Winner to a third-place finish.

Last year’s winner Vision D’Etat grabbed fourth spot.

“On the top of the bend I thought I had no chance,” Moore said after the race, which has a purse of 20 million Hong Kong dollars (2.6 million US dollars).

“Snow Fairy is very special. She’s an absolute machine to do what she did today.”

The prestigious annual event, which includes four major races on a turf track, is one of the world’s richest meetings, putting it in the company of America’s Triple Crown, the Dubai World Cup and Britain’s Royal Ascot.

A crowd of about 55,000 packed the Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong’s high-rise suburbs to watch some of the world’s top thoroughbreds. Frankie Dettori rode Mastery to a two-and-a-half-length victory in the 2,400-metre Vase, outpacing Britain’s Redwood and Melbourne Cup winner Americain, which finished a disappointing third.

South Africa’s JJ The Jet Plane pulled off a big win in the1,200-metre Sprint, edging out Singapore’s Rocket Man and champion sprinter Sacred Kingdom, which grabbed third.

“I saw a gap appear right behind Rocket Man... it was a good fight,” said winning jockey Piere Strydom.

Beauty Flash took the Hong Kong Mile, outlasting France’s Royal Bench and third-placed Sahpresa, ridden by jockey Christophe Lemaire.

“It’s one of the biggest race days of the year,” William Nader, the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s executive director of racing, told AFP.

“The prize money puts it right at the top of the tree in international racing.”

Horse racing is the biggest spectator sport in the former British colony, where that and football are the only kind of legalised gambling allowed.

The betting turnover at yesterday’s races was expected to top 138 million US dollars, Nader said.