First win in 15 months shows champion is back in business
It's been a question that has been asked but never answered for almost a year since Viva Pataca smashed his rivals in the 2006 Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby - how does he measure up to Vengeance Of Rain?
Yesterday, in the HK$8 million Hong Kong Gold Cup at set weights, we found out, with the 2005 Derby hero getting the verdict over his 2006 counterpart with merely a neck to spare, and that grand old warrior Bullish Luck a neck away third to underwrite the quality of both their performances.
Although this year's Gold Cup was disappointingly small, with just eight runners, it was still a race for the ages, with the trio of Group One winners each adapting well to a pedestrian pace and sprinting home brilliantly in the final 200m.
The clock told the story best: a slow overall time for the 2,000m on 2:04.4, the last 800m in 45.2 seconds and the final 400m in an incredibly swift 21.6 seconds.
Anthony Delpech, who fielded so much criticism for an impatient ride on Vengeance Of Rain in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup on December 10, redeemed himself with a perfectly executed tactical ride that everyone should have applauded.
Former South African champion made the early decision to place Vengeance in second place, following medium-pace leader Syllabus, a move that immediately placed him at an advantage over his primary rivals for what would inevitably be a sprint home.
