The Asian Mile Challenge

[my miss storm cat]

HKJC.....


Asian Mile Challenge 2008 a global agenda

25 January 2008


The biggest names in world racing are eyeing the most lucrative prize the sport has to offer in this year's US$12.5m Asian Mile Challenge.

Stars of the turf from 20 racing authorities are present and some of the marquee names include Ramonti, triple Gr.1 winner at a mile last year in Europe and subsequent Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup champion; Darjina the joint-highest rated filly in the world last year; Good Ba Ba, Hong Kong's best miler who prevailed in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile in December from Creachadoir.

Several Australian topliners including Apache Cat and Divine Madonna feature along with dual Classic heroine from Ireland, Finsceal Beo and Japan's triple Gr.1 winning filly, Daiwa Scarlet.

In numerical terms, this season's close of free nominations for the AMC is down on the corresponding tally 12 months ago. The Equine Influenza outbreak in Australia and Japan of 2007 has resulted in fewer nominations from both countries.

Nevertheless, the overall quality of entries has not suffered at all: there were 50 individual Gr.1 winners worldwide present in this week's first entries, an identical number to the same stage last year.

The AMC comprises four legs and commences in Australia on 1 March in the Futurity Stakes. The series then shifts to the United Arab Emirates on 29 March for the US$5m Dubai Duty Free, the joint richest turf race on the planet.

The third leg, the Champions Mile, follows after another gap of four weeks in Hong Kong on 27 April. The AMC concludes in Japan on 8 June in the Yasuda Kinen.

A clean sweep of all four legs is rewarded with a US$4m bonus which would take total AMC earnings to approximately US$12.5m, the richest purse of its kind in racing history.

Three victories will net US$2m extra, while a bonus pool of US$1m is credited to the winners of two legs.

The latter feat was accomplished by Bullish Luck from Hong Kong in 2006 in the Champions Mile and Yasuda Kinen.