Ambitious Dragon: Farewell, Champion
Every story has an end. To me, Ambitious Dragon was more than just a racehorse. I can almost single handedly thank him for my entry into the sport of kings. He has been, and will remain one of my favorites. I can remember in vivid detail where I was for all 7 of his Group 1 wins. I was lucky enough to be on hand for the first one, and his 4th. I was camping on a mountain bike trip when I woke up at 6am on Sunday morning and used the last of my phone’s battery life to check that he won the APQEII Cup in 2011. I couldn’t make it to Sha Tin for the Hong Kong Mile in 2012 (and Hong Kong races were not televised internationally at that time), but I had a friend at the track who gave me his own personal race call over the phone, as I sat on the couch in Southern California at 1am. The list goes on and on.
The now 10-year-old Pins gelding accumulated 13 wins in 30 career starts, totaling over HK$58 million in earnings. A career that spread over 6 seasons saw him win Group 1 races distanced at 7, 8, 9, and 10 furlongs, and his one attempt at a 12 furlong G1 saw him finish an impressive second. He entered the starting gate 5 times shouldering over 130 pounds, and found the winner’s circle in each occurance. His burst of speed down the stretch was among the best in the world, but was often overshadowed by other turf superstars Frankel, Orfevre, Black Caviar, So You Think, Treve, Wise Dan, and others. To even be mentioned in the same breath as those legends shows the humbleness of this champion, as well as his prowess.
Ambitious Dragon’s racing debut was in February of 2010 where he finished a tepid 8th place in a 6 furlong contest. It was not until October of that year where he would find the winners circle for the first time. This began a stretch of races that would build the foundation of his greatness. Winning 8 of his next 9 starts, he tallied off wins in the Hong Kong Classic Cup, the Hong Kong Derby, and the APQEII Cup. Seven of these wins were enough to secure his first Horse of the Year award and Champion Middle Distance Horse award.
His next season continued his dominance, with wins in the National Day Cup, Stewards Cup, and Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup. This, combined with his gritty on the board finishes in his other races, was enough to earn him his second Horse of the Year honor, as well as Champion Miler and Champion Middle Distance Horse.
Having only raced outside of Hong Kong once, he failed as the favorite in the Dubai Duty Free in 2012, but brought back no shame to his name, or his country. Returning to racing in late 2012, he again won the National Day Cup and prepped to capture one of the most coveted races in his land. Winning the 2012 Hong Kong Mile would be the mightiest achievement of his career, but not just because of the first place finish. Beyond the glory of winning this race was the fact that he suffered a laceration to his right hind leg the day before the race. Under all night walking from trainer Tony Millard and a clearance from the veterinary team the morning of the race, Ambitious Dragon swept passed his opponents to win in his usual explosive fashion. Champions just don’t win races, they overcome the most adverse and unpredictable of circumstances.
He would come back from his laceration to dominate the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup later that season which was enough to earn him his second consecutive Champion Miler honors. In his season finale he would suffer the next of many aggravating injuries that would lead to his eventual fall in form. Exiting the 2012 APQEII Cup race with a strained front suspensory ligament, there was fear of retirement for good.
Under the careful eye of Millard, it took nearly 18 months to get the champion back into race shape. Unfortunately for the Dragon, he still carried a very high rating, which meant his return in the fall of 2014 would see the top level of stakes company. Facing previous and future champions Military Attack, Gold Fun, and Able Friend, the Dragon was never able to finish better than 3rd. It was clear the aging gelding had lost a step to his younger rivals. After a new hind leg injury flared in his most recent start, the decision was made to give him a few weeks of rest before determining the next phase of his career. And on April 16th, 2015, trainer Tony Millard announced that his champion would be formally retired.
Celebrated inside and outside of Millard’s barn, Ambitious Dragon was heralded and cherished for the champion he was, and Millard did not fail to credit all of the people who helped build his illustrious career. Special mention was made to his wife (Ambitious Dragon’s regular exercise rider), his assistant Carol Yu Wing-sze, and Ambitious Dragon's loyal groom Cash Lee Tsz-wai. "He and Cash were inseparable, that horse was his life," Millard said. "One day someone asked Cash, 'Is that your horse?' and he answered, 'No, that's my friend.' “
Retirement plans have not been announced yet, but wherever he ends up, he will undoubtedly feel the love that he has had over the past six years. The HKJC will host a retirement celebration during the day of the 2015 APQEII Cup on April 26th of this month. Farewell Ambitious Dragon, you will be missed on the racetrack. No words of mine could honor this horse any better than what Tony Millard had to say during his press release.
“In my opinion, he is as good as you get, and why I say that is because he was so versatile,” said Millard. “I have yet to see a horse, in my time here in Hong Kong, win Group 1 races at 1400m, 1600m, 1800m and 2000m. I haven't seen another horse do that in the 16 years I’ve been here. He also ran second in the 2400m Group 1, and, frankly speaking, in his younger days, I would have thought he could have maybe won a Group 1 over 1200m. That type of versatility you just don't get, and that is why a champion has no distance - that horse is a champion, he can do it - and that, to me, was Ambitious Dragon.”