Bidding for his first major race win in Hong Kong, Tom Marquand hopes stamina will prove decisive when he partners Dubai Honour in the HK$13 million G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2400m) at Sha Tin on Sunday (25 May).
Bracing for a clash with Hong Kong’s four-time Group 1 winner Voyage Bubble, who is yet to race beyond 2000m, Marquand hopes Dubai Honour’s proven staying ability will give William Haggas’ charge the edge.
“We’re hoping that the stamina element could be the difference between winning and losing for us. Rebel’s Romance showed last year that it can be and you need those advantages going up against a horse like Voyage Bubble,” Marquand said.
“I think he’s (Dubai Honour) probably the one to beat. At the trip, he’s the one you know that will stay and is proven at it at the highest level.
“That said, you can’t forget a horse like Voyage Bubble – he’s a horse who performs at a high level all the time and class can stretch a horse through. It would be very naive to think that the distance alone will get him beat.
“Being involved in these types of races is a lot of fun, I – and Dubai Honour too – have been lucky to clash against some proper champions. It’s not quite as fun when you’re not winning them, but it’s still an enjoyable thing having a horse that’s up for the challenge to take on these types of races.
“Dubai Honour and Voyage Bubble are the talking horses and the ones to beat based on the level of form they bring and the consistency, too.”
With Voyage Bubble attempting to become the first horse since River Verdon in 1993/94 to complete the Triple Crown and snare a HK$10 million bonus by winning the HK$13 million G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m), HK$13 million G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) and Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup in the same season, Marquand is also wary of others, including HK$26 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) victor Cap Ferrat.
“You can never forget a Hong Kong Derby winner like Cap Ferrat but I just think the fact these boys can boast top-level form on multiple occasions is what sets them apart and makes them such an attractive match-up,” Marquand said of Dubai Honour and Voyage Bubble’s showdown.
“Physically and mentally, he’s (Dubai Honour) been doing really well – the travelling never affects him now, he’s an older gelding so it doesn’t faze him.
“He’s got that attitude that makes it that much more straight forward – travelling is not an easy thing to do for the horses so it makes our life a lot easier.”
Having returned to Hong Kong for a fifth time, Dubai Honour is in peak form having finished second to Giavellotto in the HK$24 million LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (2400m) in December before winning the G1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) at Rosehill Racecourse in Sydney, Australia.
At his last run, the durable seven-year-old finished second to Via Sistina in the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney before flying back to England.
“It’s been amazing really, to say he’s (Dubai Honour) in the form of his life would probably be fair,” Marquand said. “The mile and a half trip (2400m) is definitely more his gig now and there was no disgrace going down to a mare of Via Sistina’s calibre last start over a trip that was inadequate for him these days,” Marquand said.
Marquand has ridden two winners in Hong Kong with his biggest success so far in the city coming in the 2022 LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship when he was joint winner with Silvestre de Sousa.
Voyage Bubble, Dubai Honour and Cap Ferrat head Sunday’s field along with Ensued, Moments In Time, Rubylot, Five G Patch, La City Blanche, Winning Dragon and Bundle Award.
Standard Chartered Day this Sunday (25 May) at Sha Tin features 11 races and starts with the Pakistan Star Plate (1200m) for Griffins at 12.30pm.