The link between Hong Kong’s Four-Year-Classic Series and future elite success is well established through the deeds of a string of champion horses and, as we approach Sunday’s (3 March) HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m), the focus is firmly fixed on the best of this season’s Classic crop.
HELIOS EXPRESS, who is rated 102, heads the entry for the second leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series, having already won the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile for John Size and Hugh Bowman. Stepping beyond a mile for the first time, he will be challenged by HELENE FEELING (95), CHILL CHIBI (86), ENSUED (85), BEAUTY CRESCENT (80), SPEED DRAGON (80), UNBELIEVABLE (80), among others, while FALLON (74), SIMPLY MAVERICK (74) and STAR MAC (69) give the impression they will thrive over extra ground.
As well as being one of the most prestigious races on the Hong Kong race calendar as the former Derby Trial and a launching pad into the HK$26 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) on 24 March, the Hong Kong Classic Cup is part of a lucrative three-race series which has produced a host of champions over the years.
GOLDEN SIXTY, VENGEANCE OF RAIN, DESIGNS ON ROME all excelled in the series and last Sunday’s (25 February) magnificent G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) combatants ROMANTIC WARRIOR and VOYAGE BUBBLE both won the Hong Kong Classic Mile before advancing to Hong Kong Derby success – and then Group 1 glory.
With three Group 1 victories this season – including a historic W. S. Cox Plate (2040m) success, a second LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m) triumph in December and Sunday’s win – ROMANTIC WARRIOR continues to display his tremendous quality, will-to-win and versatility and he is without doubt among the top three global superstars over 2000m.
The partnership between ROMANTIC WARRIOR and James McDonald, as one of the best jockeys in the world, is fantastic to watch while VOYAGE BUBBLE, with champion Zac Purton on board, demonstrated that he is in the global elite.
Danny Shum learnt his craft from one of Hong Kong’s greatest trainers in Ivan Allan and it is clear from his management of ROMANTIC WARRIOR that Danny has developed into a superb conditioner of horses, armed also with the knack of successfully travelling his team.
Despite the well-documented challenges he encountered in travelling to Australia with feed issues, acclimatising to foreign conditions and racing left-handed on the turning, undulating Moonee Valley track, ROMANTIC WARRIOR won Australasia’s premier weight-for-age race second-up, having missed a vital trial in Hong Kong.
Having conquered one of the toughest mountains in international racing, ROMANTIC WARRIOR then returned to Sha Tin, underwent another mandatory quarantine stint and defied Irish, Japanese and local opposition to win a second Hong Kong Cup.
Danny’s wizardry continued last weekend when, first-up for 77 days, ROMANTIC WARRIOR beat VOYAGE BUBBLE, who had won the G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m) only five weeks earlier, to claim his sixth Group 1.
While the fantastic clash between ROMANTIC WARRIOR and VOYAGE BUBBLE last weekend drew deserved headlines and accolades, there were several other impressive performances on the day, none more striking than YOUNG CHAMPION’s Class 3 victory over 1400m.
Both John Size and James McDonald have a healthy opinion of the Zoustar gelding and his effort to down GREEN N WHITE at only his second Hong Kong start was full of merit with a final sectional of 22.64s.
Raced by HKJC Racing Club Limited, YOUNG CHAMPION appears to have all the attributes necessary to progress through the grades and time will tell precisely how far he advances. Rated 81, YOUNG CHAMPION is already fifth high-rated four-year-old in Hong Kong.
Having not raced beyond 1400m in Hong Kong, John Size will carefully consider what pathway to take with YOUNG CHAMPION, mindful a jump to the BMW Hong Kong Derby as a lightly-raced horse may be too risky for the long-term future and he might instead have his next start in a Class 2 over 1400m.
In any event, YOUNG CHAMPION is a wonderful acquisition for The Racing Club (TRC), which was formed in 2007 as a special category of membership of the Hong Kong Jockey Club with the objective of cultivating interest in horse racing and horse ownership.
Apart from providing an array of social activities, including dinners, stable visits and the ability to network at exciting leisure activities, the TRC has dedicated facilities for its members at both Sha Tin and Happy Valley racecourses where they can enjoy racing with friends and fellow Club members during race meetings and social gatherings on non-race days.
At the core of the TRC is horse ownership experience and learning about all aspects of horse racing, from stud farm tours, horse auction visits and trips overseas to top international races.
We want to further expand our current TRC membership group of 1600. Many TRC members have become individual or syndicate members over the years and the profile of the TRC member is more on the younger side with 34 percent under of the age of 30 when they join.
The Racing Club won its first race with YOUNG LABEL in 2008 for Almond Lee and Felix Coetzee, while its best performer to date has been YOUNG ELITE, who rose from a rating of 52 to 117 with six wins in a brief career for Caspar Fownes.
I would like to congratulate everyone involved in securing YOUNG CHAMPION for The Racing Club and wish the ownership group all the best for what appears to be a very bright future.
At Happy Valley on Wednesday night, the Class 3 Tsing Yi Handicap is run 1650m and is carded as Race 7 at 9.45pm.
The speed in the race is likely to be good to slow with OUTGATE the likely leader from his middle draw. EIGHTEEN PALMS will be handy to the speed from gate three with ENDEARED going forward from a wider draw. SILVER SONIC and IVY LEAGUE can settle just behind the leading division.
2022 Hong Kong International Sale graduate M UNICORN has now won four of his past six runs. At his most recent start on 17 January, he was slow to move and settled back in the field before storming home in the straight to beat QUANTUM PATCH over this course and distance.
M UNICORN has had an extended break at Conghua since that victory and is a win and place chance with Hugh Bowman aboard.
EIGHTEEN PALMS bounced back to winning form at his last start when Harry Bentley had him in a stalking position behind the leader TOURBILLON PRINCE on the home turn before coming away for an impressive win. EIGHTEEN PLAMS has drawn ideally in gate three and should get and easy run again and is a place chance.
AESTHETICISM was having his first run at Happy Valley this season when he was awkward out of the gates and settled at the rear of the field before making late ground to finish fourth to EIGHTEEN PALMS on 7 February. Zac Purton, who won two races on AESTHETICISM over 1600m at Sha Tin earlier this season goes back aboard and he is a place chance.
ENDEARED posted his first win two starts ago over 1400m at Sha Tin and then, at his only run since on 21 January, was forced to cover ground throughout from an outside gate and did well to stay on for fourth to STORM RIDER. Andrea Atzeni rides ENDEARED again here and he is a place chance even though he has drawn awkwardly again in gate nine.
This is a competitive contest with horses like OUTGATE, SILVER SONIC and IVY LEAGUE all having place claims.
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