One of the most exciting aspects of a new season is the emergence of potential contenders for Hong Kong’s lucrative Four-Year-Old Classic Series and Danny Shum has quickly unearthed a pair of talented young gallopers.
PACKING POWER, an Australian-bred four-year-old by Toronado, and HELENE WARRIOR, an Irish-bred three-year-old by Starspangledbanner, showed plenty of quality at Happy Valley on Wednesday night (11 September) and are being aimed at the HK$52 million series.
The HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) is the first leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series on 31 January and will be followed by the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) on 2 March before the series culminates in the HK$26 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) on 23 March.
Danny’s charges are likely to be joined in the series by Tony Cruz’s STUNNING PEACH, who impressed at the end of last season to shape as a likely aspirant for the BMW Hong Kong Derby, the race of “once in a lifetime glory.”
The Four-Year-Old Classic Series is the foundation of our world-class horse population with recent victors in the three-race series including GOLDEN SIXTY, ROMANTIC WARRIOR, VOYAGE BUBBLE and CALIFORNIA SPANGLE.
With just over four months until the series begins in earnest, there will be a steady flow of quality candidates. FORTUNATE SON, for Douglas Whyte, and PRAY FOR MIR, for Cody Mo, are among the runners at Sha Tin this weekend to put their credentials on the line in the Class 3 Yiu Tung Handicap (1400m), which is carded as Race 10 and will be run at 5.45pm for prizemoney of HK$1,860,000.
The pace should be good. MASSIVE ACTION will go forward from gate six to lead for Britney Wong. LO PAN SPIRIT has good gate speed and will take up a position on the speed, but could be caught wide from an outside draw under Harry Bentley. FUN TOGETHER (Lyle Hewitson) and GREENWICH (Andrea Atzeni) also should be in the leading division.
SUNLIGHT POWER won three races over this course and distance last season and was impressive in beating Patch of Theta on 15 June. SUNLIGHT POWER has been in Conghua since his last run in July and trialled well there on 29 August for his new rider Jerry Chau. SUPREME POWER is a run-on horse and will be assisted by a strong tempo and he is a win and place chance.
FORTUNATE SON made his local debut at Happy Valley on 4 July, stepping straight to 1650m and gave an eye-catching performance when fifth to Zoom Boom. FORTUNATE SON is a winner at this trip and is a promising young horse on a path aimed at the Four-Year-Old Classic Series. Brenton Avdulla rides him again here and FORTUNATE SON is a strong chance for trainer Douglas Whyte.
PRAY FOR MIR is another four-year-old with BMW Hong Kong Derby aspirations. He ran three times at the end of last season, finishing second to Ching over 1600m on 1 July when racing on the pace and fighting on strongly. PRAY FOR MIR should enjoy a good run from his inside draw and looked good trialling under Matthew Chadwick in preparation for his return to racing. He is a place chance.
SWEET ENCOUNTER (Hugh Bowman), BEAUTY GLORY (Zac Purton), LO PAN SPIRIT and THE HEIR (Vincent Ho) are all in contention on their best form.
International racing is the pinnacle of our sport and yesterday (Saturday, 14 September) we witnessed outstanding Group 1 competition in the southern and northern hemispheres.
MR BRIGHTSIDE claimed his seventh Group 1 for Ben, Will & JD Hayes with victory in the Makybe Stakes (1600m), beating PRIDE OF JENNI in a thrilling contest at Flemington, before ECONOMICS continued his stunning rise by winning the G1 Irish Champion Stakes (2000m) at Leopardstown.
Trained by William Haggas and ridden by Tom Marquand, ECONOMICS defeated AUGUSTE RODIN by a neck with Japan’s SHIN EMPEROR running strongly for third. ECONOMICS is certainly a very exciting three-year-old who has made startling progress since debuting in November.
William decided to bypass the Epsom Derby and instead used the G3 Prix Gontaut-Biron Hong Kong Jockey Club – the annual reciprocal race in recognition of the long-standing relationship between the two racing authorities in France and Hong Kong – last month as the stepping stone to the Irish Champion Stakes and it proved to be an inspired decision.
One of the key benefits of our World Pool programme is that by covering a wide range of overseas, world-class racing, our customers are able to connect with and follow the top horses around the world.
World Pool action continues from The Curragh on Sunday night when the first of the four features is the G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes (1400m), which is carded as S3-1 and is run at 10.00pm.
Aidan O’Brien dominates the race with three of the five runners including unbeaten fillies BEDTIME STORY and LAKE VICTORIA. BEDTIME STORY will be ridden by Ryan Moore and they combined to win the Debutante Stakes over this course and distance on 24 August. She is my win selection.
LAKE VICTORIA won her Maiden at The Curragh before winning the Sweet Solaria Stakes on 10 August when she led and fought on to win well. Wayne Lordan takes the ride.
Ollie Sangster is an emerging trainer in England and SIMMERING game him his first Group win at Ascot on 27 July and then backed that up by winning the G2 Prix du Calvados at Deauville on 17 August. SIMMERING is progressing with each start and is the biggest danger to Aidan’s chances of winning another Group 1 race.
The G1 Flying Five Stakes (1000m) is carded as S3-2 and will be run at 10:35pm.
BRADSELL was brilliant in winning the Nunthorpe Stakes at York on 23 August when he tracked the leader before sprinting quickly to take the lead 400m out and hold off fast-finishing BELIEVING. BRADSELL ran seventh in this race last year to MOSS TUCKER but has been impressive winning both his runs this year and is my win and place selection for with Hollie Doyle riding again.
BELIEVING has had a wonderful summer since finishing unplaced in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize at Sha Tin in April. She won over this course and trip in July and ran very well again at York behind BRADSELL. BELIEVING is a place chance with Ryan Moore taking the ride
KERDOS won the Temple Stakes at Haydock in May, beating LIVE IN THE DREAM and ASFOORA and he is a place chance for Richard Kingscote.
This is an open race and last year’s winner MOSS TUCKER is a place chance, as are BUCANERO FUERTE, who is backing up quickly from Haydock last week, when he was sixth to MONTASSIB, and BEAUTIFUL DIAMOND who ran second at her last run to BELIEVING in a Group 2 race here in July.
The G1 Vincent O’Brien National Stakes (1400m) is carded as S3-3 and will be run at 11.10pm.
Favourite in the race is unbeaten colt HENRI MATISSE for Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore. The son of sire WOOTTON BASSETT and dual Group 1-winning mare IMMORTAL VERSE, HENRI MATISSE has won all three starts at The Curragh and he is my win selection.
AOMORI CITY won the World Pool Vintage Stakes impressively at Goodwood in July and the form in that race has worked out well with third-placed COOL HOOF LUKE winning the G2 Gimcrack Stakes at York at his next start. AOMORI CITY is the main danger to HENRI MATISSE for William Buick and Charlie Appleby.
HILL ROAD is an interesting runner who won his maiden over 1600m by a big margin at Leopardstown on 8 August and is a place chance at good odds for David Egan.
The Irish St Leger is carded as S3-4 and will be run over 2800m at 11:45pm.
KYPRIOS is one of the great stayers of the modern era and is undefeated in four runs this year. At his most recent start, he comfortably won the Goodwood Cup from SWEET WILLIAM, after winning a second Ascot Gold Cup at his previous start.
Ryan Moore takes the ride again and KYPRIOS is my win selection.
GIAVELLOTTO was impressive defeating VAUBAN in the Yorkshire Cup (2800m) in May and then easily beating ARREST in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes (2400m) at Newmarket in July. Marco Botti has developed this horse into a formidable staying talent and he is the main danger to KYPRIOS with Oisin Murphy taking the ride.
VAUBAN sprinted clear to win the Lonsdale Cup at York on 23 August. Willie Mullins is a master trainer of stayers and VAUBAN will run well here and also be a strong chance in the Melbourne Cup. These three horses look to have the rest of the field covered on class but German-trained WALDADLER has been racing consistently this year and might be the best of the rest.
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