The Hong Kong Jockey Club is boasting the best HK$12 million BMW Champions Mile in the history of the event next month as runaway Dubai Duty Free winner Cityscape seeks to break the vice-like local grip on the race.
No visitor has won the Champions Mile in its brief international history since 2006, and the home defence on May 6 will be led by Horse Of The Year Ambitious Dragon, past Champions Mile winners Xtension and Able One, triple Group One winning Lucky Nine along with Glorious Days and Admiration.
It's a daunting team to face on their home soil, yet no visitor has arrived with the credentials of the Roger Charlton-trained Cityscape - a desperately unlucky second in the Hong Kong Mile in December after racing very wide throughout as a prelude to his hollow Duty Free victory last month.
Cityscape won by more than four lengths on the turf at Meydan, leaving Xtension six lengths behind him and Ambitious Dragon a further two lengths back, although the latter emerged with a fever following the race.
In addition, the international contingent for the Champions Mile will include Godolphin's African Story, the Mike De Kock-trained Musir and the Hong Kong-owned, Peter Moody-trained King's Rose from Australia.
'This is the finest field ever assembled for the BMW Champions Mile and it is particularly pleasing to have four overseas challengers of such exceptional talent along with our superb group of Hong Kong milers,' said Bill Nader, the Jockey Club's executive director of racing.