Kiwi horse El Vencedor races in Hong Kong’s prestigious QEII Cup

El Venecdor at Sha Tin in Hong Kong. Photo / Supplied

First he had to dare to dream, a prerequisite for all in the racing game, because if trainer Stephen Marsh and the owners of El Vencedor weren’t dreamers they wouldn’t be in Hong Kong for tonight’s HK$28 million ($6m) FWD QEII Cup at Sha Tin.

Their equine battleship, affectionately known at home as EV, but largely unknown everywhere else, has come a long way to take on world class horses like Goliath, Liberty Island, and Prognosis in tonight’s 2000m Group 1 race.

Kiwi breeding success in Hong Kong is a weekly occurrence but New Zealand-trained horses winning major races there are about a once in a decade rarity, the last being Sunline in 2000.

Few New Zealand-trained horses ever race in Hong Kong and when they do it can only be in major races and that means world class opposition. So just to be here, on the world stage, is a dream for Marsh or any New Zealand trainer.

But slowly as El Vencedor has ticked the right boxes this week, Marsh and his team have started to believe. First the big boy got over a hoof abscess and finally stopped gawking around at Sha Tin’s imposing surroundings.

Then co-owner David Price snared the the perfect barrier one at Thursday’s draw and local riding hero Zac Purton has been pleased with his work. Tick, tick and tick.

But at 8.40pm NZ time tonight the dreams and belief will meet reality: Does EV really have the class to beat some of the best horses in the world?

“I am more confident than I have been at any part of the exercise,” Marsh told the Herald. “We know it is a huge ask and I am not saying I am confident he will win because it is so hard to line up the form.

“But barrier one is a huge help with the short run to the first turn, we have Zac and the horse is spot on now.

“We all know how brave he is and I am confident he will be in it for a long way.

“We will be proud of him regardless of what happens because it is a privilege to be up here representing New Zealand.”

El Vencedor is rated around a $10 chance but the New Zealand TAB, quite rightly, as part if its agreement with the Hong Kong Jockey Club doesn’t offer fixed odds betting on Hong Kong races.

What price El Vencedor starts on the tote tonight will be a fascinating sub plot to the race, especially with the Purton factor. Almost as fascinating for most Kiwi punters who have never seen him will be the parade of Goliath, which borders on cartoonish.

He has a rare condition called Stringhalt, which causes him to raise his near hind leg abnormally high and stomp it down when he walks. You would swear it must bother him but the French-trained star won the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, one of England’s best races, last year so clearly it doesn’t.

While El Vencedor will need to reach a new career peak to even place tonight, earlier success for the New Zealand breeding industry looks far more assured when Ka Ying Rising attempts to rubber stamp his credentials as the world’s best sprinter in the Chairman’s Sprint.

The giant speed machine who started his career with Central Districts trainer Fraser Auret, is red hot to win in the hands of Purton and then be set for the Everest at Randwick in October.

Like El Vencedor he is perfectly drawn and anything but another victory will be the only thing that could silence the giant Sha Tin crowd today.

Mr Brightside is the Kiwi connection in the Champions Mile, the gelding who started his career in New Zealand rated the second favourite behind local star mile Voyage Bubble.

Voyage Bubble will be ridden by ex-pat James McDonald, so some sort of New Zealand flavour in the winner’s circle looks likely after the Mile.

– LOVERACING.NZ News Desk