Rapper Dragon, (, 27 August 2012 – 7 May 2017) was an Australian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse. When racing as a two-year-old in Australia he showed considerable promise as he won one race and finished second in both The Schweppervescence and Champagne Stakes.
After being gelded and sent to race in Hong Kong he ran well as a three-year-old, making steady improvement and ending his second season with a win in the Lion Rock Trophy. In the following season he was the dominant racehorse in Hong Kong, taking the Hong Kong Classic Mile, Hong Kong Classic Cup, Hong Kong Derby and Chairman's Trophy but sustained a fatal injury in the Champions Mile. He was posthumously named Hong Kong Horse of the Year.
Background
Rapper Dragon was a chestnut horse with a narrow white blaze bred by Eduardo Cojuangco at his Gooree Park stud at Mudgee, New South Wales. Cojuangco named the colt Street Rapper and sent him into training with Gai Waterhouse.
He was sired by Street Boss, a sprinter who won the Bing Crosby Handicap and the Triple Bend Handicap in 2008. The best of his other progeny have included Cathryn Sophia, Danza (Arkansas Derby) and The Quarterback (Newmarket Handicap). Rapper Dragon's dam Swing Dance was an unraced half-sister to the Queen of the Turf Stakes winner Amanpour and a female-line descendant of Natalma.
Racing career
2014/2015: two-year-old season
Street Rapper began his track career at Randwick Racecourse where he finished fourth in a 1000 metres race on 24 January 2015 and seventh in the Listed Lonhro Plate three weeks later. On 5 March at Wyong he recorded his first success as he won a two-year-old handicap by more than three lengths at odds of 2.6/1. After finishing runner-up in the Group 3 The Schweppervescence at Rosehill Racecourse he ended his first campaign by running second to Pasadena Girl in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes at Randwick on 18 April.
2015/2016: three-year-old season
At the end of his first season Street Rapper was bought privately by the trainer John Moore on behalf of Albert Hung Chao Hong and was exported to Hong Kong where the colt was gelded and renamed Rapper Dragon. All but the first of his Hong Kong races took place at Sha Tin Racecourse. Rapper Dragon finished unplaced in his first two races for his new connections before narrowly winning a minor handicap race over 1400 metres on 21 February. In this race he was partnered for the first time by João Moreira, who became his regular jockey.
The gelding began to make steady progress, finishing second under 128 pounds in the Viva Pataca Handicap and then winning the Primula Handicap over 1600 metres on 28 March. In the Sports For All Handicap on 16 April he came from last place 400 metres from the finish to win going away by one and a half lengths from Romantic Touch. On his final appearance of the season the gelding was stepped up in class to contest the Group 3 Lion Rock Trophy on 29 May and started favourite ahead of Helene Paragon (Hong Kong Stewards' Cup). After being settled in mid-division, Rapper Dragon made rapid progress on the outside in the straight, took the lead 200 metres from the finish and won by one and a quarter lengths from Beauty Only. Moreira said that the gelding appeared to be an outstanding prospect commenting "I will win a Group 1 on Rapper Dragon – I would never normally say that about any young horse, but I am so confident that this horse will win a Group 1. Mentally, he is not 100 per cent yet and look what he is doing".
2016/2017: four-year-old season
Rapper Dragon was scheduled to begin his four-year-old campaign in the Sha Tin Trophy on 23 October but was withdrawn from the race after sustaining an injury to his right hind leg. He resumed his season in December when he finished fifth behind Blizzard in the Flying Dancer Handicap. In the Hong Kong Classic Mile for four-year-olds on 22 January 2017 he started the 1.1/1 favourite against thirteen opponents headed by Pakistan Star, Beauty Generation and Eagle Way (Queensland Derby). After racing just behind the leaders Rapper Dragon accelerated into the lead approaching the final furlong and won "comfortably" by two lengths from Seasons Bloom. Moore commented "I've been telling the press for weeks that this is the cleanest-winded horse I've had in the stable for donkeys' years and, from that point of view, he was very easy to get fit... I didn’t expect that he would win that easily".