Viva Pataca () (foaled 7 May 2002) is a British-bred

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

, who achieved his greatest success when trained in Hong Kong.

Background

Bred by the Dukes of

Devonshire Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is a ...

and Roxburghe, he was out of the

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

Comic and sired by English

Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...

winner,

Marju Marju (Chinese: 馬足; 12 March 1988 – 11 October 2016) was a Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Background Marju was a dark bay or brown horse bred by Kilcarn Stud and owned by Hamdan Al Maktoum. He was sired by Last Tycoon out of Flame of Ta ...

. He was purchased by Neil Greig - Osborne House for 26,000

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from t ...

at the 2003

Tattersalls Tattersalls (formerly Tattersall's) is the main auctioneer of race horses in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Founding It was founded in 1766 by Richard Tattersall (1724–1795), who had been stud groom to the second Duke of Kingston. T ...

October Yearling Sale and given the name "Comic Strip."

Racing career

2004–2005: Britain

Trained by Sir

Mark Prescott Sir Mark Prescott, 3rd Baronet (born 1948), is an English race horse trainer with over 2000 winners to his name, including Alpinista, winner of the 2022 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. He is based at Heath House Stables, an historic 50 box yard at th ...

at age two, Comic Strip won five of his six starts. After winning his last start in the October 2004

Silver Tankard Stakes The Silver Tankard Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Pontefract over a distance of 1 mile and 6 yards (1,615 metres), and it is scheduled to take ...

, he did not run again until the end of July in 2005 when he finished fourth in a Handicap for three-year-olds at

Goodwood Racecourse Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House. It hosts the annual Glorious Goodwood meeting in lat ...

. Sold to

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

businessman,

Stanley Ho Stanley Ho Hung-sun (; 25 November 192126 May 2020) was a Hong Kong-Macau billionaire businessman. His original patrilineal surname was Bosman, which was later sinicized to 何 (Ho). He was the founder and chairman of SJM Holdings, which owns ...

, he was renamed Viva Pataca for the

Macanese pataca The Macanese pataca or Macau pataca (; pt, pataca de Macau; sign: $; abbreviation: P; ISO code: MOP) is the currency of the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. It is subdivided into 100 ''avos'' (; ''sin'' ...

, the currency of Macau.

2006–2011: Hong Kong

Viva Pataca made his Asian racing debut at

Sha Tin Racecourse Sha Tin Racecourse is one of the two racecourses for horse racing in Hong Kong. It is located in Sha Tin District, Sha Tin in the New Territories. It is managed by Hong Kong Jockey Club. Penfold Park is encircled by the track, and the Hon ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

on 1 January 2006, finishing third in the 1400 metre Chang Jiang Handicap. Two weeks later, under new jockey

Christophe Soumillon Christophe Soumillon (born 4 June 1981) is a Belgian jockey based in France. Career Coming from a racing background, Soumillon is the son of jump jockey Jean-Marc Soumillon. He rode in pony races and left Belgium aged fifteen to go to the racing ...

, he won the 1600 metre New Asia Road Handicap then in mid February won the Chukyo Handicap. In late March, Viva Pataca won his first

race when he gave trainer John Moore his second win in the

Hong Kong Derby The Hong Kong Derby is a Hong Kong Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1873. Restricted to horses four-years-old only since 1981, the race is run in mid-March and is the premier event on the domestic racing programme with a purse of HK$18 m ...

. In April, jockey

Gerald Mosse Gerald is a male Germanic given name meaning "rule of the spear" from the prefix ''ger-'' ("spear") and suffix ''-wald'' ("rule"). Variants include the English given name Jerrold, the feminine nickname Jeri and the Welsh language Gerallt and Iri ...

rode him to a sixth-place finish behind winner Iridescence in the

Queen Elizabeth II Cup The Queen Elizabeth II Cup is a Group One Thoroughbred horse race at Sha Tin Racecourse in the New Territories, Hong Kong. Established in 1975 by the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club, it is run annually in April at a distance of 2,000 metres (ten ...

. At the end of May he came back with a win under jockey

Michael Kinane Michael J. Kinane (born 22 June 1959, Killenaule, County Tipperary) is an Irish former flat racing jockey. He had a 34-year career, retiring on 8 December 2009. A prolific winner of the Irish, English and French Classic race ...

in the Group One

Champions & Chater Cup Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup is a Hong Kong Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late May or early June at Sha Tin Racecourse. A Group One race that offers a purse of HK$12,000,000, it is run on turf over a distance of 2400 meters (prior ...

. Returning to the track in October for the 2006–2007 campaign, under jockey Eric Saint-Martin, Viva Pataca finished fifth in the Sha Tin Trophy then third in the International Cup Trial. With Christophe Soumillon aboard he finished fourth to

Pride Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...

in December's

Hong Kong Cup The Hong Kong Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 2000 metres (about miles or 10 furlongs) at Sha Tin, and it is scheduled to take place each year in ...

then in late January ran third in the 2007 Stewards' Cup to winner Armada. With Michael Kinane back in the saddle, in early March 2007 Viva Pataca was second by a nose to

Vengeance of Rain Vengeance of Rain (21 September 2000 – 25 October 2011) was a Thoroughbred racehorse in Hong Kong that won Dubai Sheema Classic (Int'l Group One (G1) over 2,400 metres), the joint richest turf race in the world. Vengeance of Rain was foaled ...

in the 2007 Hong Kong Gold Cup. After Vengeance of Rain won the 31 March

Dubai Sheema Classic The Dubai Sheema Classic is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Arab Emirates open to thoroughbreds which are four-years-old or above. It is run over a distance of 2,400 metres (approximately miles; 2410 metres since 2010) on the turf track at ...

Nad Al Sheba Racecourse Nad Al Sheba Racecourse was Thoroughbred horse racing facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates opened in 1986. It had a 2,200 m left-handed dirt race track and a left-handed turf course of the same distance. It operated from November through March ...

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

, on his return to Hong Kong he was the even-money favorite to win the 29 April running of the

. However, Michael Kinane rode Viva Pataca to a strong win by 1¾ lengths. In the much anticipated 3 June "Rubber match" between the two in the

, Viva Pataca defeated Vengeance of Rain by three lengths while breaking the 2400-metre course record that had stood for thirteen years. In late August 2007, trainer John Moore had Viva Pataca booked to be flown to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

to compete in the

Cox Plate The W. S. Cox Plate is a Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years old and over under Weight for age conditions, over a distance of 2040 metres (approximately 1m 2f), that is held by the Moonee Valley Racing Club at Moo ...

. However, the trip was canceled after

equine influenza Equine influenza (horse flu) is the disease caused by strains of influenza A that are enzootic in horse species. Equine influenza occurs globally, previously caused by two main strains of virus: equine-1 (H7N7) and equine-2 (H3N8). The OIE now cons ...

was reported in Australia. Moore then considered taking the horse to the United States to compete in the

Breeders' Cup Turf The Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race's current ...

Monmouth Park Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease as a partnership with ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. Because no Hong Kong horse had ever competed in a

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, ...

, it was widely discussed throughout the Asian media. However, owner Stanley Ho eventually decided against it. Following a layoff of nearly four months, in his return to racing on 21 October 2007, Viva Pataca finished seventh in the 1600 meter Group 3 Sha Tin Trophy Handicap. On 11 November 2007 have won the

Trial in ease, successfully outrunning Packing Winner and Art Trader. Then he went straight forward to the

, running second behind the winner

Ramonti Ramonti (foaled 28 March 2002) is a retired French-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. He was originally trained in Italy, where he won eight races at the ages of three and four including the Group One Premio Vittorio di Capua. He was th ...

with a short head distance. Viva Pataca started the 2008 year with the

Hong Kong Stewards' Cup The Stewards' Cup is a Hong Kong Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the latter part of January at Sha Tin Racecourse. A Group One race that offers a purse of HK$12,000,000, it is run on turf over a distance of 1600 meters and is open to ...

, running third. But he won the Hong Kong Gold Cup before he was invited to compete the

, finished in second behind the winner Sun Classique. Viva Pataca then stand to defend the

title but only finished third. Then he also failed to defend the Chater Cup title, which finished in second place. Viva Pataca started the 2008/09 season with the Sha Tin Trophy, which had a surprising win that beat

Good Ba Ba Good Ba Ba () (foaled 2002) is a Hong Kong based Thoroughbred racehorse. In the season of 2007-2008, Good Ba Ba had five consecutive wins in Hong Kong G1 and G2 races. He was voted Hong Kong Horse of the Year. On December 14, 2008 Good Ba Ba ...

. Then he won the

Trial again with went straight forward to the

, but only finished fourth. Viva Pataca started the 2009 year with the

again, with running third again. But he successfully defend the Hong Kong Gold Cup title. Then he competed for the

Chairman's Trophy The Chairman's Trophy is a Group 2 set weights Thoroughbred horse race in Hong Kong, run at Sha Tin Racecourse, Sha Tin over a distance of 1600 metres, and takes place in early April. Horses three years old and older are qualified to enter this race ...

as a preparation to the

, which he finished in third. In the

, he finished in second behind the winner Presvis. Viva Pataca finished the season with winning his 3rd Chater Cup title in four years. Viva Pataca become the Horse of the year in 2008/09 1st time in his racing life. Viva Pataca is also the nominees of the Most Popular Horse of the Year 2008/09.

References

Viva Pataca's pedigree and partial racing stats

The Hong Kong Jockey Club – Sight Winner Racing Record
* The Hong Kong Jockey Club

{{The Most Popular Horse of the Year Thoroughbred family 19 2002 racehorse births Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in Hong Kong