Hong Kong: Rapper Dragon captures Hong Kong Classic Cup
Rapper Dragon is in position to sweep Hong Kong’s three-race series for 4-year-olds.
After winning the Hong Kong Classic Mile on Jan. 22, Rapper Dragon won the second leg, Sunday’s $1,288,560 Hong Kong Classic Cup at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Sha Tin Racecourse.
The third and final race of the series is the BMW Hong Kong Derby at 1 1/4 miles on March 19. No horse has ever won all three races.
Rapper Dragon, who was ridden by Joao Moreira, won the Hong Kong Classic Mile by 1 1/2 lengths over Pakistan Star. Seasons Bloom finished third, beaten three lengths. Rapper Dragon (3-5) was timed in 1:46.98, a stakes record and the fastest clocking at the distance of the Hong Kong season.
Moreira had Rapper Dragon in midfield in the field of 13 and rallied wide in the stretch to take the lead with more than a furlong remaining.
“The way he won today was pretty much the same as the first leg,” said Moreira, Hong Kong’s leading rider. “He’s pretty smart. He relaxed nicely in the race and that indicates that he’s going to handle the Derby distance.”
Rapper Dragon, a 4-year-old gelding by Street Boss, has won 6 of 10 starts in Hong Kong.
Trained by John Moore and owned by Albert Hong Chao Hong, Rapper Dragon began his career in Australia, where he raced under the name Street Rapper and had one win in five starts and was second in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes in 2015.