The arrival of DUBAI HONOUR at Sha Tin on Saturday night (17 May) serves as a timely reminder the HK$13 million G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2400m) – Hong Kong’s final Group 1 race of the season – is now only a week away.
William Haggas’ globetrotter returns to Hong Kong for a remarkable fifth time, having run exceptionally in previous visits, finishing second and third in elite Group 1 contests at Sha Tin, and his presence adds another layer of class and intrigue to the race.
The entry for the Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup on 25 May is certainly very encouraging with the potential for the largest field since 2004 and, with Hong Kong’s four-time Group 1 winner VOYAGE BUBBLE, BMW Hong Kong Derby champion CAP FERRAT, ENSUED and G3 Queen Mother Memorial Cup Handicap victor BUNDLE AWARD engaged, the race is shaping up extremely well.
While DUBAI HONOUR will attempt to emulate REBEL’S ROMANCE’s win in the 2024 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup, VOYAGE BUBBLE will try to become only the second horse after RIVER VERDON in 1994 to complete the Triple Crown series by winning the G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m), G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) and the Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup in the same season.
The fact only one horse has so far managed to achieve this feat underlines the difficulty of winning the HK$10 million Triple Crown Bonus and I wish Ricky Yiu, James McDonald and the Sunshine And Moonlight Syndicate the very best of luck with VOYAGE BUBBLE next Sunday.
Today (Sunday, 18 May), we celebrate Members’ Day at Sha Tin with one of the most significant events on the Members’ Racing calendar with a 10-race card serving as a platform for the Club’s members to gather and connect through horse racing.
Horse racing has a long and enduring relationship with Hong Kong as the city’s most popular sport. The Hong Kong Jockey Club was founded in 1884 as a membership club and it has since evolved into a world-class racing organisation and its Charities Trust is one of the world’s leading charity donors.
Sharing a passion for horse racing, a commitment for the betterment of society and the pursuit of culture and lifestyle, our members will gather today for Members’ Day for the 16th year running to enjoy competitive racing, exclusive privileges and celebratory activities.
Our simulcast programme continues today from Tokyo Racecourse with the running of the G1 Victoria Mile, which is carded as S3-1 and will be run over 1600m at 2.40pm.
Restricted to fillies and mares, the Victoria Mile honour roll is headlined by turf champions such as VODKA (2009), ALMOND EYE (2020) and GRAN ALEGRIA (2021) and this year’s edition features a field of 18.
ASCOLI PICENO (Christophe Lemaire) has won five times from eight starts, including the 2023 G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (1600m). She has also finished second in two other Japanese Group 1s over a mile and recently captured Saudi Arabia’s G2 1351 Turf Sprint in February. She has class and a powerful closing split but has drawn barrier 17. Despite this, I make her a win and place selection.
STELLENBOSCH (Keita Tosaki) is a high-quality mare and finished third in last year’s G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (2400m). She is a Group 1 winner in Japan over a mile and is likely to improve following her first-up run. She is well drawn in barrier two and she is also a win and place selection.
ARGINE (Damian Lane) is a place selection along with QUEEN’S WALK (Yuga Kawada), who is a winner in Group 3 over a mile at Tokyo.
The feature race at Sha Tin today is the Class 3 Members Cup Handicap, which is carded as Race 7 at 4.10pm and will be run over 1200m on dirt with prizemoney of HK$1.86 million.
The pace will be good with PACKING BOLE (Jerry Chau) expected to lead from MASTER CHAMPION (Dylan Mo), GUMMY GUMMY (Zac Purton) and MASK RIDER (Britney Wong). JOLLY RULER (Keagan De Melo) also likely to be prominent.
GUMMY GUMMY has drawn well in barrier four and will quickly attempt to find a positive position. He has three placings from his past three runs and is closing in on another win and I make him a win and place chance.
MR ENERGIA (Matthew Poon) has drawn gate one and is in very good form but his racing pattern suggests he’ll be coming from the off the pace and might need luck in the straight. He is also a win and place chance.
BUNDLE OF CHARM (Hugh Bowman) has been consistent all season without winning and he is a place selection along with MOJAVE DESERT (Andrea Atzeni).
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