Viva Pataca
Viva Pataca (Chinese: 爆冷) (foaled 7 May 2002) is a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse, who achieved his greatest success when trained in Hong Kong.
Background
Bred by the Dukes of Devonshire and Roxburghe, he was out of the mare Comic and sired by English Group One winner, Marju. He was purchased by Neil Greig - Osborne House for 26,000 guineas at the 2003 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and given the name "Comic Strip."
Racing career
2004–2005: Britain
Trained by Sir Mark Prescott at age two, Comic Strip won five of his six starts. After winning his last start in the October 2004 Silver Tankard Stakes, 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. Sold to Macau businessman, Stanley Ho, he was renamed Viva Pataca for the Macanese pataca, the currency of Macau.
2006–2011: Hong Kong
Viva Pataca made his Asian racing debut at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong on 1 January 2006, finishing third in the 1400 metre Chang Jiang Handicap. Two weeks later, under new jockey Christophe Soumillon, 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 Group One race when he gave trainer John Moore his second win in the Hong Kong Derby. In April, jockey Gerald Mosse rode him to a sixth-place finish behind winner Iridescence in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup. At the end of May he came back with a win under jockey Michael Kinane in the Group One Champions & Chater Cup.
