Hong Kong’s reigning Horse of the Year Ambitious Dragon (NZ) swept aside a high-class field to win the G2 Sha Tin Trophy on Sunday.

Winning jockey Zac Purton manoeuvred Ambitious Dragon away from the rail to sit midfield before accelerating to a brilliant victory over rising star Glorious Days and Helene Spirit.  “The trainer said to be positive,” Purton explained.  “That’s what I did and he just towed me into the race when I let him go.”

Trainer Tony Millard plans to take the NZ bred star to the G2 Jockey Club Mile on November 18 before the G1 Hong Kong Mile or Hong Kong Cup at the International meeting on December 9.

“I like the way he won and I like the way Zac rode him,” Millard stated.  “There were so many options and we had to think about it very carefully and Zac held his head.  He rode a copybook race and certainly he’s got the ride next time, there’s no doubt about that!”

Ambitious Dragon (6g Pins – Golden Gamble by Oregon) was bred in New Zealand by Pat Lowry and was passed in for $47,500 at the 2008 Karaka Select Sale.  He’s by Waikato Stud sire Pins from a half-sister to LR STC Winter Cup winner Recall (Kaapstad).

Millard trains Ambitious Dragon for owner Johnson Lam.  The gelding kicked off with lowly handicap wins at Sha Tin and Happy Valley in October 2010 before rising through the ranks to score a G1 victory in the 2011 Hong Kong Derby.

AMBITIOUS DRAGON
NZ bred star set for HK International Day