Racing
2022 FWD Champions Mile: Race History
Top grade international milers take out the FWD Champions Mile run at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Maurice was a brilliant Japanese horse who scored. Is the 2022 FWD Champions Mile (1600m) at Sha Tin on Sunday going to produce one like him again?
2022 FWD CHAMPIONS MILE - RACE HISTORY AND BACKGROUND
The Champions Mile is a Group 1 race run under Weight For Age conditions for the milers at Sha Tin conducted by Hong Kong Jockey Club.
The Champions Mile is run over 1600m. It was first run in 2001 and won by Red Pepper.
The Champions Mile is the only one of Hong Kong's 12 Group 1 contests to have been established after the turn of the millennium.
MAURICE won the Champions Mile 2016
The race was established initially as a HKG1 contest, designed as a finale for Hong Kong's star milers, and it was the Brian Kan-trained Red Pepper that scored under Eric Legrix.The race obtained Group 1 status in 2007 after being allowed as an open international race in 2005.
Two internationally trained horses have won the Champions Mile – Variety Club and Maurice.
2017 winner Contentment gave trainer John Size a third win in the Champions Mile. John Moore is the only trainer to have more wins in this race than Size, scoring eight times since 2007.
Brett Prebble notched his third Champions Mile win with Contentment in 2017, making him the most successful jockey in this race. He is followed by reigning champion jockey Joao Moreira and retired rider Darren Beadman at two wins apiece.
Japanese star Maurice had a love affair with Sha Tin winning a Hong Kong Mile, a Champions Mile and ended his career with a huge Hong Kong Cup win.
He is one of only three overseas horses to have won three races in Hong Kong. Winning this race five months after his success in the 2015 Hong Kong Mile, he completed the trio when taking the Hong Kong Cup later in 2016.
In 2017 Rapper Dragon was a very short priced favourite after a series of spectacular efforts including the Derby. He was expected to score but was sluggish out of the gates and then broke down at the 700m mark. Sadly he broke the pelvis and couldn't be saved.
Beauty Generation made it the most wins in a Hong Kong Season with eight in 2019. He also claimed Viva Pataca's earnings record taking his total at the time to HK$84,770,000.
Golden Sixty took his record at the time to 17 wins from 18 starts in winning the Champions Mile in 2021.
Only seven favourites have won this race in the last 20 editions with Beauty Generation and Golden Sixty very short in recent years.
The Champions Mile was worth HK$20m in 2022.
Some notable winners of the Champions Mile include Golden Sixty (2021), Beauty Generation (2018/2019), Maurice (2016), Able Friend (2015), Dan Excel (2013), Xtension (2011/2012), Able One (2007/2010), Good Ba Ba (2008), Bullish Luck (2005/2006), Electronic Unicorn (2003) and Jeune King Prawn (2002).
The 2021 Champions Mile was won by Golden Sixty from More Than This and Southern Legend.
| HPoIi8c6a1U |
| MAURICE won the Champions Mile 2016 |
Check out the latest Sydney News