Leading money trainer John Moore has warned that Tony Cruz's Super Pistachio won't be allowed to steal tomorrow's HK$8 million Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2,400m) the way he did the Queen Mother Memorial Cup. Moore goes into the season's final Group One event with three of the eight runners in Mighty High, Jacobee and evergreen Viva Pataca, who will be lining up in the race for the sixth consecutive time.In the Queen Mother Memorial at handicaps against similar opposition, Sup

Leading money trainer John Moore has warned that Tony Cruz's Super Pistachio won't be allowed to steal tomorrow's HK$8 million Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2,400m) the way he did the Queen Mother Memorial Cup. Moore goes into the season's final Group One event with three of the eight runners in Mighty High, Jacobee and evergreen Viva Pataca, who will be lining up in the race for the sixth consecutive time.

In the Queen Mother Memorial at handicaps against similar opposition, Super Pistachio was able to walk through the first 2,000 metres of the race, then sprint home in under 22 seconds with just 113 pounds, setting an impossible task for the chasers.

But Moore said the boot was on the other foot this time with the switch back to level weights.

"Mighty High looks a handicapping certainty after having to give Super Pistachio 20 pounds last time," he said.

"We know funny things can happen in small fields, with respect to the pace and the like, but Super Pistachio won't be able to make the same kind of race.

"Mighty High had a big weight in the Queen Mother so Super Pistachio was able to dictate to him, but with the weight turnaround Mighty High becomes the well-handicapped horse and we won't be afraid to make it a proper race.

"Mr Medici's stablemate, Mr Bond, has pace and could try to lead them, but if nothing else takes on Super Pistachio, Mighty High can even lead."

Moore, who has won the race four times, leads Cruz on the score of Group race wins this season and believes he is headed for a similar final prize money tally to last year's HK$96.8 million.

"We are over HK$86 million now. If we can win the Champions & Chater that will take us into the nineties and if we finish around the same as last year, that's a fabulous season," Moore said.

"The three of mine go into the race in terrific form. Jeff Lloyd felt that Jacobee would have won the Queen Mother if there had been more pressure on, though obviously at level weights he isn't as well placed as the other two."

Viva Pataca has won the race three times - only River Verdon with four straight victories in the 1990s has bettered that - with his two other runs yielding a second in 2008 and last year's third to Mr Medici and Super Pistachio in quagmire conditions.

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