Trainer David Ferraris said Vengeance Of Rain had staked an undeniable claim for Horse of the Year honours after the brilliant four-year-old claimed the Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup (HKGr.1-2400m) at Sha Tin this afternoon.

Five weeks ago Vengeance Of Rain became the first horse to add the Audemars Piguet QEII Cup to success in the Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby. Here he bagged the stayers` championship to make it a fantastic Gr.1 hat trick and take his season`s earnings to almost HK$22.5 million.

However, the feats of Silent Witness and Bullish Luck have elevated the standard of with Hong Kong racing to such rarefied levels this season that Vengeance Of Rain can only be considered a contender for the prized accolade. Between them, the three highest rated horses in Hong Kong have scooped nine Gr.1 events this term.

"I`ll leave it up to the Jockey Club of course, but Vengeance Of Rain has to have a serious case for Horse of the Year," Ferraris said.

"He has won over 1600m, stepped up to take a Derby and a QEII at 2000m, and now he has won over 2400m. That`s quite incredible versatility at the highest level. I know Silent Witness is a champion sprinter but when he stepped up to a mile he was beaten."

Even if Vengeance Of Rain fails to collect the prestigious honour at the end of season awards ceremony on June 25, there is no doubting Ferraris` esteem of his champion.

"In South Africa I once had six winners in one day, five of them in Group races, but this is my greatest achievement and he is the greatest horse I will ever throw a saddle over. It has been pleasure to work with him," said the trainer.

Backed into odds of 2/5 favourite, Vengeance Of Rain certainly wrung out his latest victory the hard way. Saturn, a Gr.3 winner over the distance at his last start, made most of the running, while half a mile out jockey Anthony Delpech began to improve on the winner from a position about five lengths off the pace.

He turned for home widest of all, out four-deep, and only hit the front inside the final furlong to hold off a determined Best Gift, a gallant runner-up, by a half a length. Saturn ran third two lengths further back. Nothing else threatened in the nine-runner field.

"There was a lot of pressure on today; even more pressure with the smaller field. The smaller the field, the bigger the upset," Ferraris said.

"I was a bit worried at 800m because he was very wide � he was travelling well but he was far out of his ground. His class got him through."

The trainer added that Vengeance Of Rain can now look forward to "a nice long break" with his initial target for next season the HK$18 million Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup in December.

Races overseas will then be considered, but an earlier tilt at the Cox Plate in Melbourne was deemed "out of the question."