Defending champ Dunaden faces stiff challenge in HK Vase

Europe is well positioned to continue its stranglehold on the Group 1

Hong Kong Vase at Sha Tin on Sunday. Last year, Dunaden became the 10th

straight European-based horse to conquer the Vase, and the defending champion

isn't even the top-ranked performer in the 1 1/2-mile affair. That honor goes to Juddmonte Farms' homebred Sea Moon, who has gone abroad in search of a Group 1

breakthrough.

Sea Moon first proved that he could take his game on the road in the 2011

Breeders' Cup Turf, finishing second to the older St Nicholas Abbey. The Sir

Michael Stoute trainee kicked off his current campaign with two straight

victories -- a hard-fought verdict over Vase rival Dandino in the Tapster Stakes

at Goodwood and an impressive demolition of Dunaden and Red Cadeaux in the Group

2 Hardwicke at Royal Ascot.

But Sea Moon has been disappointing in his two subsequent starts. A belated

fifth after being held up too far back in the Group 1 King George VI & Queen

Elizabeth Stakes, the Beat Hollow colt was only eighth in the Group 1 Prix de

l'Arc de Triomphe on heavy going at Longchamp. Sea Moon should bounce back in

more normal conditions at Sha Tin, if he runs up to his 123 international

rating, an earn an overdue first top-level win.

(Saturday update: In a bombshell development, Sea Moon was scratched

because of a blood abnormality.)

Various circumstances conspired against him to keep him winless in Europe

this season, but Dunaden regained the winning thread when returning to

Australia. Defying top weight and the outside draw in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup,

Dunaden rallied boldly to run down Alcopop by a half-length. The lack of a

meaningful early pace in the Melbourne Cup hurt his chances, and he trudged home

14th. The Vase would have been a natural spot for a retrieval mission, but a few

others had the same idea. Dunaden arguably has to put up an even better effort

than he did last year if he wants to join Doctor Dino (2007-08) and Luso

(1996-97) on the repeat winners' list.

His compatriot Meandre brings strong credentials, and an equal international

rating (122), to his first venture outside of Europe for the ever-dangerous

Andre Fabre. The winner of last year's Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris and a

creditable sixth in the 2011 Arc, Meandre won two more Group 1s this past

summer. The gray son of Slickly beat an all-star female cast, including Shareta

and Danedream, in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, and plundered the Group

1 Grosser Preis von Berlin. His momentum was halted by Japanese superstar

Orfevre in the Group 2 Prix Foy. Meandre was another who never got involved when

12th in the Arc, but like Sea Moon, ought to find Hong Kong more congenial.

The globetrotting Joshua Tree, third to Orfevre and Meandre in the Foy two

back, has since wired the Grade 1 Canadian International. The son of Montjeu was

winning the Woodbine feature for the second time, having first taken the prize

in 2010, and he had finished runner-up there last year. Joshua Tree has been in

fine form all year for Marco Botti, and if others have a superior kick, he tends

to give a good account of himself in workmanlike fashion.

Also coming out of the Canadian International is Dandino, a hard-charging

runner-up whose late thrust fell just short. Dandino has lost his way at times,

but the James Fanshawe pupil has always had ability, and he's certainly on song

of late. Prior to his near-miss at Woodbine, the dark bay son of Dansili landed

the Group 3 September Stakes over Kempton's Polytrack.

The Carlos Laffon-Parias-trained Chinchon already owns two top-level wins

abroad, the Grade 1 United Nations in 2010 and the Group 1 Singapore Airlines

International Cup in May. In his only run since Singapore, Chinchon was a

well-beaten fifth in the Group 2 Prix du Conseil de Paris on heavy ground. Given

his preference for firmish ground, the seven-year-old veteran was under

consideration for the Breeders' Cup Turf, but he ended up passing. Chinchon

won't have any ground issues here, but the post (12) and the distance might be,

for he is winless from six tries at 1 1/2 miles.

Completing the European squad are England's Red Cadeaux, a late-running

eighth in the Melbourne Cup and Grade 1 Japan Cup in his last pair, and the

French filly Pagera, a notch below the best at home but a strong second to

Siyouma in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor at Woodbine.

Japanese elder statesman Jaguar Mail ran huge in defeat in three straight

runnings of the Vase. Beaten a neck when third to Doctor Dino and Purple Moon in

2008, he was fourth by a grand total of a half-length to Daryakana in 2009, and

a more convincingly defeated fourth in 2010. The eight-year-old has lost a step

by now, as evidenced by his 10th in the Japan Cup.