“I think this horse is one of the best milers in the world but when you come to the Hong Kong milers, they are the best in the world,” said Trevor Brown, assistant trainer to Mike de Kock. “You only have to look at their record in this race. You’ve got to respect them. They grind and then they kick.”

Sunday’s race will be the five-year-old’s first start for De Kock, a three-time winner of International G1 races in Hong Kong, but the Champions Mile is not among them. The trainer has had five previous shots at the race with Musir’s third-place in 2011 being his best result. Then again, Hong Kong-trained horses have won each of the nine editions since the race was opened to overseas runners. Indeed, Musir’s effort matched the best ever placing by an overseas horse in the contest.

Brown looked on contentedly yesterday morning as Variety Club completed his final serious piece of work on the turf course. The Var horse finished off an 800m gallop in 50.9s (28.3, 22.6) under big-race pilot Anton Marcus.

“I’m happy with his work this morning – Anton seemed very happy,” said Brown, “we didn’t want anything too over the top, just a little piece of work, a nice gallop and that’s what we got. He’s in good shape. We were a little concerned that he had to travel here by himself, later than his two stablemates, last week, but he’s taken it well, he’s a true professional.”

The experienced Marcus, who was originally best known as the younger brother of former Hong Kong champion jockey Basil Marcus, has forged a reputation as a man for the big occasion with numerous G1 triumphs and five champion jockey titles in South Africa. He has also ridden in Hong Kong, chalking up a total of 144 winners in six racing seasons. It is he who will have to negotiate a route to victory from gate 12 of 14, a berth wider than most would prefer.

“He generally goes forward but he has been ridden off the pace and won at home in South Africa. We’ll have a think about what we might do. I’ll leave that up to Anton, he knows the horse,” said Brown.

Variety Club faces 13 rivals in a top-class renewal that also features the leading local contenders Able Friend, Glorious Days, Gold-Fun and last year’s victor Dan Excel, as well as the talented overseas raiders, the three-time G1 winner Gordon Lord Byron, Mshawish from France and the Japanese challenger Meiner Lacrima.

Meanwhile, trainer John Moore believes Designs On Rome’s QE II Cup win confirms his long-held belief that stablemate Able Friend is an international Group One horse in waiting – but Sunday’s Champions Mile might be the only test of that viewpoint for this campaign.

Moore revealed yesterday that tackling the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 17 is a long shot even if the Derby runner-up gives him a fifth straight Champions Mile.

Moore’s sole focus now is on the Group One Champions Mile. “With Able Friend, we are talking about another horse which is in the same bracket as Designs On Rome,” Moore said. “Everybody was saying, ‘You had Designs On Rome peaking for Derby Day, can you keep him going until the QE II Cup?’
“And Designs On Rome has come out and run an even better race than in the Derby: if we can take any guide on that you’d have to think this horse is going into the Champions Mile even fitter, even more focused and even more physically prepared.
“He’s the one to beat.”

Moore’s Champions Mile tally is at five, including the last four in a row with Able One (2007, 2010), Xtension (2011, 2012) and Dan Excel (2013).

Although he rates Able Friend as his main hope, he was not dismissing the chances of the somewhat forgotten Dan Excel. “He’s as genuine as the day is long. But Able Friend is definitely the better chance – he’s got tonnes of ability and there’s still more to come.”
Moore identified South Africa’s Variety Club as the main danger. “I just have to hope that Variety Club doesn’t bring his best,” he said. – HKJC.com[/expand]