Sha Tin send off set up for retiring great Able Friend
AFTER a glittering career which saw the Australian-bred gelding reach the highest ever rating of a Hong Kong horse, the John Moore-trained Able Friend has been retired.
Moore said back in March that “retirement looks on the cards” for the 2015 Hong Kong Horse of the Year after it sustained another leg injury, but the team announced on Thursday that the seven-year-old will not race again.
Hong Kong racing fans will get a chance to say goodbye to arguably the best horse to ever grace their shores on Saturday, May 28 at Sha Tin before it is retired to a Turangga Farm in New South Wales, where it was foaled.
Able Friend retirement farewell ceremony on this Sunday 1:35pm
thx for the memories!!!!#thebeastfromtheeast https://t.co/A6lkuwcXIz— nicklas (@nicklasyip) May 25, 2017
The trainer believes Able Friend is as good as any horse in the history of thoroughbred racing.
“He was the equal of any horse on the planet at his peak,” Moore said.
He may have been the top miler in the world, but his best race imo was a sprint. Happy retirement, Able Friend!https://t.co/tcd6wG9uHF
— Candice Hare (@chare889) May 25, 2017
Moore said Able Friend’s legacy will be set in stone in Hong Kong.
“He’ll be known as a legend here, he’s earned his place in Hong Kong folklore as that strapping, big chestnut with the electrifying turn-of-foot.
“The public really took to him, he had them in awe with some of the things he did. He just obliterated the best here in Hong Kong.”
The four-time group one-winning gelding was a class above the horses in Hong Kong at its peak, and the argument could be made that in 2015 there was no better horse on the planet.
The 2014/15 season saw Able Friend reach the peak of its powers to earn honours as Hong Kong’s Horse of the Year and Champion Miler.
Six wins in succession, which included a four-length demolition job of a world-class field in the Hong Kong Mile earned Able Friend a rating of 127, which placed him equal third in the International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities’ World’s Best Racehorse rankings.
It is the highest ever rating a horse from Hong Kong has achieved.
Very glad I got to see you race in person, enjoy your retirement Able Friend!! #HKIR pic.twitter.com/950ZLM7pCI
— Matt Maclure (@maclurem) May 25, 2017
Superstar jockey Joao Moreira, who took the majority of the horse’s rides, paid tribute to Able Friend, saying the horse meant more to him than just the on-field success.
“Obviously very few horses here have given me what he has. I’m not talking about prize money, but I’m talking about pride,” Moreira said.
“To be associated with such a nice horse that has had such a great career, like him, I can’t ask for much more.
“Everything that has come from him has been very special, he has a place in my heart and I’m very happy that he is going to have a beautiful life in a paddock.”
Able Friend retires after amassing $HK61 million in career earnings following 12 wins from 24 starts.