The reappearance of established champion CALIFORNIA SPANGLE along with the presence of fellow international Group 1 winner INVINCIBLE SAGE and exciting sprinter KA YING RISING at Sha Tin on Sunday (20 October) is a reminder the glittering LONGINES Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) are fast approaching.
The G2 Premier Bowl Handicap (1200m) is one of the key lead-up races to the HK$26 million LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m), which shares a stellar billing on 8 December with the HK$40 million LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m), HK$36 million LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m) and HK$24 million LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (2400m), and has drawn a world-class field with 13 starters, including the talented HOWDEEPISYOURLOVE, BEAUTY WAVES, LUCKY WITH YOU and HELIOS EXPRESS.
To have last season’s Hong Kong Champion Sprinter and triple Group 1 winner CALIFORNIA SPANGLE competing against the 2023/24 Hong Kong Champion Griffin and Most Improved Horse KA YING RISING, along with another bona fide Group 1 performer in INVINCIBLE SAGE – and quality rivals – is fantastic.
Fittingly, we host one of the most exciting races of the season so far on Hong Kong Jockey Club 140th Anniversary Raceday, which is a celebration not only of Hong Kong horseracing, but also our community and the city’s diversity, unwavering spirit and resilience.
Our banner – With You. Then. Now. Always – encapsulates the journey the Club has undertaken with Hong Kong over the past 140 years, while also looking the future. Apart from providing career pathways and entertainment through our world-class racing, the Club is proud of the unique integrated business model which allows us to channel wagering demand for good, delivering significant social benefits to the community.
Apart from marking the 140th anniversary with today’s race meeting, the Club will launch a series of celebratory initiatives and events, as well as interactive experiences on our 140th Anniversary website.
The Class 2 HKJC 140th Anniversary Cup (1600m) is carded as Race 5 at 3.10pm with prizemoney of HK$3,120,000 and has attracted a good field, with leading chances for the Four-Year-Old Classic Series with STUNNING PEACH and TOP GUN engaged.
STUNNING PEACH was impressive winning over 1800m at his third run in Hong Kong on 8 June and resumes here for Tony Cruz and Zac Purton and is a win and place chance. PATCH OF THETA (Hugh Bowman) ran well when resuming behind DROMBEG BANNER on 1 October. He will be improved by that run and will be hard to beat.
CHIU CHOW SPIRIT (Alexis Badel), KARMA (Vincent Ho) and STAR CONTACT (Britney Wong) are also place chances.
The G2 Premier Bowl (1200m) is carded as Race 7 at 4.10pm for prizemoney of HK$5.35 million.
The pace will be strong with CALIFORNIA SPANGLE the likely leader from gate three. HARMONY N BLESSED and KA YING RISING should also settle in the forward division.
KA YING RISING ended last season with victory in the Sha Tin Vase over this course and distance with the limit weight and then went to another level again when resuming with an impressive win in the HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup on 8 September carrying top weight. KA YING RISING has been to Conghua since and easily won a trial there 10 days ago. He is my win and place selection for Zac Purton.
CALIFORNIA SPANGLE was a brilliant winner of the G1 Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai in March before finishing second to INVINCIBLE SAGE in the G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize in April. He ended the season with a close second to MUGEN in the Premier Cup (1400m) in July when he led and fought bravely under top weight. CALIFORNIA SPANGLE has won two trials leading to his reappearance here, will get a perfect run from gate three for Brenton Avdulla and is the hardest for KA YING RISING to beat.
HELIOS EXPRESS won the first two legs of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series last season before finishing eighth to MASSIVE SOVEREIGN in the BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) in March. HELIOS EXPRESS won three races on end in 2023/24 over 1200m and has the speed and ability to be placed for Alexis Badel, despite drawing widest. He comes into the race off two easy trials.
BEAUTY WAVES made a successful transition to Group racing when finishing strongly to beat MAGIC CONTROL and WHIZZ KID in the National Day Cup (1000m) on 1 October. He is a place chance under new rider Matthew Chadwick.
INVINCIBLE SAGE (Hugh Bowman), the consistent HOWDEEPISYOURLOVE (Karis Teetan) and TAJ DRAGON (Vincent Ho) all have place chances.
Following our outstanding World Pool meetings in Australia and Great Britain on Saturday (19 October), our simulcast programme continues with the G1 Kikuka Sho (3000m), which is carded as S4-1 and run at 2.40pm at Kyoto Racecourse.
While the race is run over an extended trip, the pace will be good. PEACE ONE DUC and NOBLE SKY have drawn the inside gates and both like to lead. MEISHO TABARU will settle near the front from his middle gate and ECORO WALZ, who has drawn wide will also go forward in the early stages.
DANON DECILE showed his outstanding ability last start to easily beat the favourite JUSTIN MILANO. DANON DECILE was an upset winner but was strong at the end of the race. He has a perfect draw in gate four and is a win and place chance for veteran rider Norihiro Yokoyama, who won this race in 1998.
Christophe Lemaire rides URBAN CHIC who was easily held in the Derby but bounced back to his best form at his next start when winning the G2 Japanese St Leger Trial (2200m) at Nakayama on 16 September. Christophe won this race last year for the third time and URBAN CHIC is a place chance.
MEISHO TABARU likes to race on the pace and his only defeat in four runs this year was his failure in the 2000 Guineas when he led and weakened to finish last when he was one of the leading chances. MEISHO TABARU returned to winning form last start beating JUNE TAKE in the G2 Kobe Shimbun Hao on 22 September and is a place chance for rider Suguru Hamanaka.
SHONAN LA PUNTA, third to MEISHO TABARU in the Kobe Shimbun, COSMO KURANDA, second behind URBAN CHIC at Nakayama and last-start winner ADMIRE TERRA, all have place claims.
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