After months of planning, Hong Kong racing’s “celebration of champions” is rapidly becoming a reality with confirmation of the final LONGINES International Jockeys’ Challenge (IJC) line-up and the imminent arrival of LONGINES Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) runners.
On Wednesday night, the final three spots in the LONGINES IJC slotted into place with the elevation of Vincent Ho, Silvestre de Sousa and Matthew Chadwick into the elite 12-rider field.
Joining defending LONGINES IJC champion and reigning Hong Kong champion jockey Zac Purton (46 wins this season) as Hong Kong representatives in 7 December series at Happy Valley, Vincent (21 wins), Silvestre (17) and Matthew (12) all earned their places with strong starts to the campaign.
I look forward with excitement to watching how our riders fare against an outstanding group of international rivals led by Ryan Moore, Hollie Doyle, Jamie Kah, Yuga Kawada, James McDonald, Tom Marquand, Mickael Barzalona and Jye McNeil.
The confirmation of the full LONGINES IJC roster comes as we prepare to greet the first of our arrivals next week for the LONGINES HKIR on 11 December.
Emphasising the scope and quality of the international challenge facing Hong Kong’s best horses in 15 days, Australia’s Laws Of Indices is scheduled to arrive early on Tuesday morning and is followed a day later a star-studded batch of Japanese runners including Panthalassa, Danon Scorpion, Danon The Kid, Gendarme, Jack d’Or, Lei Papale, Meikei Yell and Resistencia.
By the end of next week, Germany’s Mendocino, French pair Botanik and Bubble Gift, Singapore’s Lim’s Kosciuszko, Ireland’s Bolshoi Ballet, Broome, Order Of Australia and Stone Age, Great Britain’s Saffron Beach and a second Japanese shipment including Geoglyph, Salios, Glory Vase, Naran Huleg, Schnell Meister and Win Marilyn are due to land in Hong Kong.
I am delighted with the sheer volume and quality of the international brigade and wish all of them well ahead of their arrival and for a smooth preparation into the four Group 1s at LONGINES HKIR.
At Sha Tin on Sunday, the trophy race is the Class 1 Chevalier Cup Handicap (1600m) is carded as race seven features the return clash of two exciting young horses in Beautyverse and Keefy, who will be leading chances in the Four-Year-Old Classic Series in the New Year.
Beautyverse made a positive impression on debut winning over 1600m on 6 November when Zac Purton led on the G1 South Australian Derby (2500m) winner. The son of Tarzino showed an exciting turn of foot at the 300m kicking clear and then fighting bravely to see off the challenge of Keefy. Zac does not have to lead here and will aim to be just behind the speed, and if possible, one off the fence from gate two. Beautyverse will have taken considerable improvement from his first up run and I make him a win and place chance.
Keefy sat behind the leader last start and was out in plenty of time to run down Beautyverse, but the winner was too strong and was holding Keefy on the line. Derek Leung has a perfect draw here to stalk the pace again and I make Keefy a place chance.
The speed in the race should be good with All For St Paul’s drawn five, likely to find the front and The Rock who has gate eight, going forward to sit outside the leader.
Beluga enjoyed a perfect run, racing in clear air behind the speed before taking the lead in the straight and fighting hard to the line when winning the Class 1 Panasonic Cup over 1400m on 12 November. Beluga has drawn the outside gate, with Hugh Bowman taking the ride for David Hall and if Hugh can find a position one off the fence, I make him a place chance.
There are a number of other runners who have strong claims in a highly competitive race including likely leader All For St Paul’s, last start winner Running Glory and Excellent Proposal who is on a seven-day backup, coming back in grade from his fifth to our Champion Golden Sixty G2 BOCHK Private Wealth Jockey Club Mile last week.
Besides Keefy and Beautyverse, we also have some other upcoming four-year-olds running at Sha Tin on Sunday, including Sweet Encounter in Race 8, as well as promising talents Superb Capitalist and Beauty Eternal in Race 9.
Our simulcast race this week is the G1 Japan Cup (2400m) which will be run at 2.40pm between races four and five on our Sha Tin card. The race features four overseas horses trying to break a home-team winning streak for Japan that started in 2006 with the champion racehorse and sire, Deep Impact.
The leading chance for Japan this year is Shahryar, a son of Deep Impact, who won the 2021 Japanese Derby and was third in this race last year to Contrail. At his only run this year at 2400m, Shahryar won the Dubai Sheema Classic before finishing fourth in the Prince Of Wales’s at Royal Ascot and fifth in the Tenno Sho (Autumn), both over 2000m. In that race he was wide throughout and staying on at the finish. Returning to the 2400m here with Cristian Demuro aboard. I make him a place chance.
The only Japanese trained three-year-old in the field is Danon Beluga who finished 2.5 lengths ahead of Shahryar in the Tenno Sho when he closed late off the fast pace for third to Equinox and Panthalassa. Danon Beluga will be ridden by Yuga Kawada, who we will see compete in the LONGINES IJC at Happy Valley on 7 December and I make him a win and place chance.
The last overseas trained horse to win the Japan Cup was Alkaased in 2005 and the visiting team may see this as a year of opportunity as they meet a local contingent that does not appear to have the same depth as other years.
The international quartet includes exciting German three-year-old Tunnes. Trained by Peter Schiergen, Tunnes (Guiliano-Tijuana) is a half-brother to 2021 Arc de Triomphe winner Torquator Tasso (by Adlerflug).
He won the G3 German St Leger by eight lengths and then the G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern at Munich by 10 lengths on rain affected ground at his most recent run. Tunnes will meet fast ground and a fast pace here and it will be fascinating to see how he performs and whether he can emulate Lando, the 1995 Japan Cup winner, who remains the only German horse to have won the race.
Onesto is a top-class French three-year-old who was victorious in the G1 Prix de Paris in July over 2400m, before being runner up to Luxembourg in the Irish Champion Stakes beating Vadeni into third place. Onesto was never a winning chance in the Arc at his last start but has drawn barrier two here and importantly will be ridden by Christophe Lemaire and I make him a place chance.
Christophe is attempting to match Yutaka Take’s feat of riding four Japan Cup winners as Yutaka rides Heart’s Histoire on Sunday. I look forward to seeing both Christophe and Yutaka riding at LONGINES HKIR on 11 December.
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