Murtagh to end in style

Johnny Murtagh can round off a remarkable year by guiding Daliapour to victory in the Hong Kong Vase at Sha Tin tomorrow morning.

This season Murtagh has added to his already-impressive CV victories in the Derby, Irish Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe courtesy of Sinndar.

As well as those successes, a trip to the Breeders' Cup at Churchill Downs resulted in success on board Kalanasi, who also landed the Dubai Champion Stakes.

It has been a truly remarkable campaign and should be rounded off with another trophy to his name thanks to Daliapour. Michael Stoute's charge looked brilliant in his final piece of work at the racecourse.

Last year's Derby and Irish Derby runner-up began the season in style by winner Chester's Ormonde Stakes before returning to Epsom to land the Vodafone Coronation Cup. Since then he has run respectably in his last three starts, all Group One events in the Emirates World Series.

The final outing was the Canadian International at Woodbine where he finished a two-and-three-quarter lengths third to Mutafaweq.

A similar performance tomorrow should see him home against the likes of fellow Newmarket resident Ela Aphena, Germany's Caitano and local hero Indigenous.

However, Murtagh may have to settle for second best when he contests the Hong Kong Cup on board Daliapour's stablemate Greek Dance.

The Sadler's Wells entire will likely have to give best to last year's winner Jim And Tonic, trained in France by Francois Doumen.

Meanwhile, Uttoxeter fell foul of the weather again when today's meeting was abandoned because of waterlogging. Warwick had already been lost to the weather leaving Ascot and the all-weather card at Lingfield as the only racing action set to take place in Britain today.