International competition is the ultimate in any sport and Group 1 horse racing this weekend features in four different jurisdictions – Australia, England, Japan and France – with the G1 Yasuda Kinen (1600m) in Tokyo tomorrow (2 June) of special interest to Hong Kong with the participation of ROMANTIC WARRIOR and VOYAGE BUBBLE.
The Club will simulcast quality racing from Eagle Farm, Epsom, Tokyo and Chantilly racecourses on a weekend where three Derbies – the Queensland Derby (2400m), the Derby Stakes (2405m) and the Prix du Jockey Club (2100m) – take centre stage along with the Yasuda Kinen in Tokyo.
It is certainly a wonderful weekend for followers of global sport and beside the racing, I look forward to the Champions League Final early on Sunday morning when Borussia Dortmund play against Real Madrid, who are the clear favourite to lift the trophy at Wembley Stadium.
The first of our weekend simulcasts starts at 12.38pm on Saturday (1 June) from Eagle Farm Racecourse in Brisbane, where the first of feature races is the G1 Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m), which is carded as S1-2 and run at 1.13pm.
The speed will be good to moderate. UNCOMMON JAMES will go forward from the outside gate and be the likely leader. TUVALU has drawn well in gate three and will take a forward position.
BELLA NIPOTINA was slowly away before winning the Doomben 10,000, defeating I WISH I WIN in the last stride. BELLA NIPOTINA is very consistent and, after passing a veterinary examination this morning, is a place chance here.
I WISH I WIN hit the front at the 200m last start, but was nailed on the line by BELLA NIPOTINA. With James McDonald in Japan to ride ROMANTIC WARRIOR in the Yasuda Kinen, Luke Nolen goes back aboard. I WISH I WIN will strip fitter and be suited by the extra distance and is my win and place selection.
IN SECRET won a trial recently and is a place chance along with ESPIONA, who ran well in the Doomben 10,000.
The G1 Queensland Derby (2400m), which is carded as S1-3 and will be run at 1.52pm.
The pace should be moderate with no established pacemaker engaged, NAVY KING or FIRST INNINGS might be asked to lead. SHY GUY and ANDERSON BRIDGE should be prominent.
TANNHAUSER won the Rough Habit Plate (2200m) two weeks ago when James McDonald rode him. He is replaced today by Nash Rawiller. The extra distance should not be an issue for TANNHAUSER and, with an ideal draw in gate three, he is a win and place chance.
AUTUMN ANGEL was runner up to TANNHAUSER last start when she settled much further back than usual and made a sustained run to take second. AUTUMN ANGEL has already run over 2400m winning the Australian Oaks in April and Mark Zahra goes back aboard here. AUTUMN ANGEL should be closer in running from her inside draw and is a win and place chance.
WARMONGER is a promising stayer who was second in the South Australian Derby (2500m) on 4 May. Blake Shinn takes the ride and will have to contend with a wide draw again here and is a place chance along with NAVY KING.
Tonight, our coverage switches to Epsom Racecourse in England and Derby Stakes Day, which starts at 8.25pm with the Derby carded as S2-6 and run at 11.30pm.
The pace should be good with a large number of runners having led or raced on the pace at their recent starts, including Aidan O’Brien’s EUPHORIC. SAYEDATY SADATY, VOYAGE and KAMBOO should also be prominent.
CITY OF TROY, for Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore, ran as favourite in the 2000 Guineas on 4 May but suffered his first defeat when fading from the 600m and was well beaten behind NOTABLE SPEECH.
CITY OF TROY now steps up to the distance of the Derby and he is a place chance.
Aidan has a strong hand in the race and is also represented by LOS ANGELES, an unbeaten Camelot colt. LOS ANGELES won the Group 1 Criterium Stakes (2000m) in France in October and made a winning return when taking the Irish Derby Trial at Leopardstown on 12 May. LOS ANGELES is a win and place chance for Wayne Lordan.
BELLUM JUSTUM won the Blue Riband Trial at Epsom (2015m) on 23 April and is a place chance for Andrew Balding and Oisin Murphy.
AMBIENTE FRIENDLY was impressive winning the Derby Trial (2321m) at Lingfield on 11 May, appearing to win with something in reserve. AMBIENTE FRIENDLY is also place chance for his new rider Robert Havin.
Charlie Appleby is represented by ANCIENT WISDOM to be ridden by William Buick. ANCIENT WISDOM was second in the Dante two weeks ago and he has place claims while DANCING GEMINI, who was second in the French 2000 Guineas last start can also run well with Dylan McMonagle aboard.
The G1 Yasuda Kinen (1600m) at Tokyo Racecourse has long been revered as one of the most important races in the world and tomorrow (Sunday, 2 June) it takes on special significance for Hong Kong racing purists as ROMANTIC WARRIOR and VOYAGE BUBBLE attempt to succeed against the very best Japanese milers.
Only three foreign-trained horses – Dubai’s HEART LAKE (1995) and Hong Kong’s FAIRY KING PRAWN (2000) and BULLISH LUCK (2006) – have managed to triumph in the Yasuda Kinen, which requires a horse with tactical speed as well as stamina, especially up the 525m-long home straight, which is uphill for the first 225m.
ROMANTIC WARRIOR is a proven star on the international stage with his famous G1 W. S. Cox Plate (2040m) victory and he is chasing a fifth Group 1 in a row and eighth overall, while fellow BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) winner VOYAGE BUBBLE will look to emulate the recent globe-trotting success of both ROMANTIC WARRIOR and G1 Al Quoz Sprint (1200m) winner CALIFORNIA SPANGLE.
The difficulty of winning the Yasuda Kinen is evidenced by number of high-class Hong Kong horses – 25 horses in all, making 38 starts – who have contested the race since FAIRY KING PRAWN’S breakthrough for Ivan Allan, with only Tony Cruz’s BULLISH LUCK defying the trend.
It is clearly no easy task and the challenge of travelling horses cannot be under-estimated, especially taking on quality Japanese horses on their home ground. There are four individual Group 1 winners from Japan – NAMUR, SERIFOS, GEOGLYPH and DANON SCORPION – as well as high-class horses such as SOUL RUSH, GAIA FORCE and ELTON BAROWS defending Japan’s reputation, so ROMANTIC WARRIOR and VOYAGE BUBBLE will need to be at their best to win.
I wish Danny Shum and James McDonald and Ricky Yiu and Zac Purton – and the owners of both ROMANTIC WARRIOR and VOYAGE BUBBLE – the very best and I look forward to watching our Hong Kong champions in action at Tokyo Racecourse tomorrow.
There will be a special blog tomorrow focusing on the G1 Yasuda Kinen, the G3 Sha Tin Vase Handicap (1200m) and G3 Lion Rock Trophy Handicap (1600m) at Sha Tin and the G1 Prix du Jockey Club (2100m) at Chantilly.
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