Champion athletes – human and equine – create excitement and a sense of occasion and this Sunday (30 March) is no exception with the reappearance at Sha Tin of KA YING RISING, the world’s top-ranked sprinter, along with a cluster of fellow Group 1 winners.
Bidding to extend his winning streak to 11 races in a row as he prepares for the G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) at Sha Tin on FWD Champions Day on 27 April, KA YING RISING has risen to acclaim as the world’s highest-rated sprinter with an international mark of 124 to be third in the world behind Japan’s FOREVER YOUNG (128) and ROMANTIC WARRIOR (127) with an incredible season of six straight wins.
His return for David Hayes and Zac Purton in the G2 Sprint Cup (1200m) is a highlight of our Sunday meeting, which also features another G1 winner BEAUTY ETERNAL in the G2 Chairman’s Trophy (1600m) and is a vital lead-up to FWD Champions Day.
Adding another important dimension this Sunday ahead of FWD Champions Day is the staging of the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen, which is carded as S4-1 and is run over 1200m at Chukyo Racecourse in Japan at 2.40pm.
There are four runners in this race who are also entered for the G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize on FWD Champions Day – SATONO REVE, LUGAL, A SHIN FENCER and BIG CAESAR.
There will be a very strong speed generated by the 18 runners with several winning chances.
SATONO REVE (Joao Moreira) won successive Group 3 races last year before finishing seventh to LUGAL in the Sprinters Stakes in September. He then ran an excellent third to KA YING RISING and HELIOS EXPRESS in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint in December. SATONO REVE is a win and place chance from barrier 10.
NAMURA CLAIR (Christophe Lemaire) has finished second in this race for the past two years. She was narrowly beaten by LUGAL and TOSHIN MACAU in the Sprinters Stakes in September before beating MAD COOL in the Hanshin Cup. NAMURA CLAIR has drawn barrier 14 but is also a win and place chance.
Last year’s winner MAD COOL (Ryusei Sakai) was unplaced in the G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize to INVINCIBLE SAGE in April before returning to form in December when runner-up to NAMURA CLAIR in the Hanshin Cup. He has barrier one and is a place chance.
BIG CAESAR (Yuichi Kitamura) ran seventh in this race last year behind MAD COOL and NAMURA CLAIR. He ended last year with successive wins over 1200m at Kyoto, beating WIN CARNELIAN and VENTO VOCE in the Keihan Han at his last run. BIG CAESAR has been training well for his reappearance here and is a place chance along with LUGAL (Atsuya Nishimura) and TOSHIN MACAU (Takeshi Yokoyama).
At Sha Tin, the G2 Chairman’s Trophy is carded as Race 5 and will be run over 1600m at 3.10pm with prizemoney of HK$5.35 million.
The speed will be good with BEAUTY ETERNAL (Andrea Atzeni) the likely leader from gate four. MOMENTS IN TIME (Harry Bentley) should be able to hold his position on the rails, CHANCHENG GLORY (Hugh Bowman) also likes to race close to the speed and RED LION (James Orman) will settle in a forward position.
GALAXY PATCH (Zac Purton) was excellent when runner up to VOYAGE BUBBLE in the Stewards’ Cup over this trip in January when he ran home strongly in the straight. He then stretched to 2000m and failed to show his usual turn of foot in the run home, finishing a well beaten eighth. Back to 1600m and, with a strong pace, GALAXY PATCH is my win and place selection.
CHANCHENG GLORY was rewarded with his first Group victory in the Centenary Vase (1800m) in January when he easily held WINNING DRAGON and ENSUED. He followed up with another good run behind VOYAGE BUBBLE in the G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) in February. CHANCHENG GLORY comes back to the 1600m, a distance he relishes, and is a place chance for Hugh Bowman.
BEAUTY JOY (Brenton Avdulla) hasn’t won since winning this race last year, but has been very consistent and last start ran well again to finish fourth in the G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m). BEAUTY JOY always appreciates a strong pace and, if he gets it here, he is a place chance.
BEAUTY ETERNAL and RED LION have both been consistent at the highest level over this trip and can run well for their trainer John Size, although BEAUTY ETERNAL’s task is made a little more difficult as he carries a 5lb penalty for his G1 FWD Champions Mile (1600m) victory last April.
SUNLIGHT POWER (Jerry Chau) brings a different form line to the race having won two of his past three runs over this trip in Class 2. He has a challenge as the lowest-rated horse running at set weights, but is a horse on the rise and can run well for Jerry Chau.
The G2 Sprint Cup is carded as Race 7 at 4.15pm and is run over 1200m with prizemoney of HK$5.35 million.
The pace will be good with CALIFORNIA SPANGLE (Brenton Avdulla) likely to be ridden positively. KA YING RISING (Zac Purton) has natural speed and will settle in the leading group, with COPARTNER PRANCE (James Orman) also handy to the speed.
KA YING RISING easily won in the G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m) on 23 February from HELIOS EXPRESS and HOWDEEPISYOURLOVE and, in keeping with his routine, went to Conghua straight after that run and has since won a trial at Sha Tin. KA YING RISING should win, despite giving weight to all his rivals.
HELIOS EXPRESS (Hugh Bowman) has been placed behind KA YING RISING at each of his five runs this season, finishing runner-up four times. He ran home well to take second in the Queens Silver Jubilee Cup and has had a couple of trials since that effort. HELIOS EXPRESS has drawn the rails here and if he gets clear ground early enough in the straight, he can finish second again.
LUCKY WITH YOU (Luke Ferraris) appreciated the drop back in class at his last two starts beating GORGEOUS WIN and MAGIC CONTROL in the TBV Cup on 9 February and then struck again on 9 March over 1200m when he beat COPARTNER PRANCE comfortably. LUCKY WITH YOU will run well and is a place chance.
CALIFORNIA SPANGLE, MAGIC CONTROL (Harry Bentley), COPARTNER PRANCE (James Orman) and GORGEOUS WIN (Andrea Atzeni) will all run well but will find it difficult to beat KA YING RISING.
I had the privilege of attending the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Rugby Sevens on Saturday and the new stadium at Kai Tak is world-class. It is great see that the Sevens has found a new home, which showcases Hong Kong on a global stage.
I enjoyed my visit and the performance of the Hong Kong Team along with the Hong Kong Jockey Club booth, which included activities from face painting to riding on a mechanical horse in a simulated race on the Sha Tin Racetrack, was fantastic.
I also had the pleasure of meeting some of Rugby’s most renowned figures, including Jerome Daret who guided the French team to the Paris Olympic Games gold medal, and also French Rugby Federation Chief Executive Officer Jeremie Lecha, who has tremendous passion for his sport.
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