Hong Kong’s most successful trainer John Moore has a dream to win the Cox Plate and hopes to fulfil it with Xtension following the four-year-old’s brilliant win in the Group One Champions Mile at Sha Tin.
Xtension burst from the pack halfway down the straight to down the Caspar Fownes-trained Lucky Nine by a half length in Monday’s 1600m feature.
Dubai’s Musir finished a further short head away third.
Australia had no runner in the Champions Mile following the decision by Melito’s connections to bypass the race.
Ex-pat Moore is hoping to convince Xtension’s connections to head to Melbourne for the weight-for-age Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in October but will only do so if a planned trip to England for the Queen Ann Stakes is abandoned.
“I want to win a Cox Plate one day and I’d love to take this horse there if the owners allow it,” Moore said.
“But it depends if he goes to Ascot or not.”
Xtension’s win in the Champions Mile was the third for Moore and the second for Beadman who won the race aboard the Moore-trained Able One last year.
Beadman’s victory came on a day when two-up is an Anzac tradition and the former champion Sydney rider made the right call when he had the pick of Moore’s four runners including Able One who was ridden by Damien Oliver.
Moore believes the best is yet to come from Xtension, a son of Xaar.
“He’s been a dream to train and has been sound right through his career,” Moore said.
“Today was his day. He had to come back from 2000 metres to do it.”
Xtension was runner-up to Ambitious Dragon at his previous outing in the Group One Hong Kong Derby last month.
Star English galloper Presvis got too far out of his ground in the early stages before finishing on for sixth.
Xtension’s victory continued the amazing record for local sprinters who have won every Champions Mile since the race was elevated to international status in 2007.
The Champions Mile is the third leg of the rich Asian Mile Challenge series.
Glamour Sydney mare More Joyous won the first leg with her brilliant Futurity Stakes win at Caulfield in February while the Lucani Cumani-trained Presvis claimed the second leg, the Group One Dubai Duty Free at Meydan last month.
The fourth leg, the Yasuda Kinen, will be run over 1600 metres in Japan on June 5.
AAP TURF
