Viva Pataca has been named Hong Kong Horse of the Year for 2008-09.  Wednesday’s Sha Tin meeting concluded the Hong Kong season and the award gave trainer John Moore plenty of reasons to celebrate after he was touched off by Caspar Fownes for leading trainer honours.

Viva Pataca was favourite to win the Horse of the Year title two years ago only to see Vengeance of Rain (Zabeel) waltz off with the silverware.

Owner Stanley Ho, accompanied by his wife Angela Leung, broke with a long-standing personal tradition when giving his acceptance speech in English rather than Cantonese.

Viva Pataca (7g Marju – Comic by Be My Chief) won four races this season including the Group 1 Hong Kong Gold Cup plus the Champions and Chaters Cup.  He was also an admirable second to Presvis in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup.

Viva Pataca was bred in England by Floors Farming And Side Hill Stud and cost 26,000gns for his original connections.  He got cracking as a two year-old in England in 2004 winning at Southwell, Ayr, Chester and Epsom before earning his first black-type with a Listed win in the Tankard Stakes at Pontefract.

The Marju gelding won his first G1 in Hong Kong when successful in the Mercedes-Benz Derby in March 2006.

His dam Comic is a winning half-sister to Brave Act (Persian Bold) who won the 1996 G3 Solario Stakes at Sandown before his sale to the US where he added the G2 Citation Hcp at Hollywood Park and the G2 San Gabriel Handicap at Santa Anita.

Last year’s Horse of the Year Good Ba Ba (Lear Fan) was named champion miler and Sacred Kingdom (Encosta de Lago) the top sprinter.