Able Friend produced what can only be described as a stunning performance when storming to victory in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin this afternoon (Sunday, 14 December).

At HK$23 million it is the world’s richest turf race over this distance and Able Friend and jockey Joao Moreira had read the script perfectly, winning by a race-record margin of four and a quarter lengths.

Gold-Fun kept on bravely after looking likely to be swallowed up in the straight after leading for most of the way. He finished second, just ahead of the Japanese pair of Grand Prix Boss and World Ace. Last year’s winner Glorious Days ran a brave fifth on his first start since June.

But the race was all about Able Friend. Trainer John Moore had insisted that the five-year-old would improve even from his remarkable victory in the G2 Jockey Club Mile last month, something that most observers had barely thought possible. But Moore’s uncanny knack of producing a horse at his real peak on the biggest occasion of all was again in evidence.

Fast away, Moreira settled right back as Gold-Fun and Secret Sham tussled for the lead. At one point Gold-Fun had kicked clear and as the field swung for home there was just a moment when Able Friend might be in trouble. But the horse had the speed to get in the right position and his closing 200m was really spectacular as he flew past rivals who were left struggling for the place-money.

Moore, winning the LONGINES Hong Kong Mile for the second time after Able One’s victory in 2011, said: “To see the facile win today was just amazing and I’m just a very lucky person. This horse has a turn of foot as he can relax through his races. He’s not spending a penny – you just show him daylight and he’s got an explosive kick. Some of the horses today were serious horses and I think I’ve got one of the better milers on the planet.

“It will be the Stewards’ Cup next and I’ll do my utmost to convince the owner to go for the Dubai Duty Free but that might be a long lunch and a lot of alcohol. We’re so happy we’ve got him in the yard and we look forward to better things,” he said.

Moreira, clear leader in the current Hong Kong jockey standings, summed up the brilliance of this performance: “The way he’s won, coming from a long way back, passing by them and not even being hit by the whip – wow! He’s such an amazing horse. He has a great turn of foot and the way he won today gives me the feeling that he’s the best horse I’ve ever sat on.

“I was never worried in the race and knew exactly what I was doing,” he continued. “I have a lot of faith in this horse and knew he was just going to come over the top of them. He has that kind of stride, a really big stride, that I knew that if he put it all together he was just going to run over the top.”

Gold-Fun’s trainer Richard Gibson said: “We tried different tactics but we still got beaten by a champion horse and all credit to the winner. We’re very proud of our guy today. He stuck on well at the end.”

Gold-Fun’s jockey Douglas Whyte has had a rewarding but frustrating afternoon, finishing second on all his three rides at Hong Kong’s big day