With only 45 days until the staging of the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races (LONGINES HKIR) at Sha Tin on 14 December, the entry for the four Group 1 features at our showpiece meeting is extremely pleasing.
International racing is a key pillar of the Club’s operations and integral to our branding as a global racing leader. As such, we are delighted and grateful that the 2025 LONGINES HKIR has again drawn the vital support of both overseas and local owners and trainers.
Entries for the four Group 1 races – the HK$40 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m), HK$36 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m), HK$28 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) and HK$26 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (2400m) – feature 70 individual Group 1 winners and, of the 185 nominations, 50 are from Japan.
History beckons for ROMANTIC WARRIOR, who bids for an unprecedented fourth successive victory in the LONGINES Hong Kong Cup, while world champion sprinter – and fellow Hong Kong, China global champion – KA YING RISING chases a second LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint triumph.
The international entry is stunning with 133 nominations from Australia, Bahrain, Chile, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Japan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America.
Closing in on his own world record for the most Group 1 wins in a season of 28 – he currently has 25 major victories this season – Aidan O’Brien has LONGINES HKIR five entries, while fellow champion trainers Andre Fabre, Chris Waller, Charlie Appleby, Francis-Henri Graffard and Noriyuki Hari are represented.
It is validation of Hong Kong’s world-class racing that we have received nominations for international champions such as REBEL’S ROMANCE, CALANDAGAN, TASTIERA, VIA SISTINA, SOUL RUSH, CROIX DU NORD, LOS ANGELES, MINNIE HAUK and GOLIATH to take on our best, including Triple Crown champion VOYAGE BUBBLE and emerging star MY WISH, among others.
I would like to thank our international racing team for their hard work in attracting the interest of ambitious overseas and local racing figures and LONGINES HKIR again shapes as a truly spectacular event.
LONGINES HKIR week is a wonderful chapter on the international racing calendar with the staging of the LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship at Happy Valley on 10 December, while also providing the opportunity for the global racing community to gather to celebrate our sport as well as discuss the challenges and opportunities facing it.
Last season’s LONGINES HKIR was an incredible success, and we look forward to the challenge of trying to match and surpass that occasion.
While Hong Kong, China has an established cast of stars led by ROMANTIC WARRIOR, KA YING RISING and VOYAGE BUBBLE, I am excited by the prospect of monitoring the progress of other talented horses before the LONGINES HKIR field selection is made.
Several horses have already been impressive this season, few more so than KA YING RISING’s stablemate TOMODACHI KOKOROE, whose advance this preparation has seen him surge from 84 in the ratings to 110 while also recording the second fastest 1200m time in Sha Tin history with a gallop of 1m 07.39s – only marginally outside of KA YING RISING’s track record of 1m 07.20s – with victory in the G2 Premier Bowl Handicap (1200m) last Sunday (26 October).
The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a passionate and longstanding supporter of sport at all levels with a clear appreciation of the physical and mental benefits sport brings to athletes – elite and social – in our city and we are proud of our association with Hong Kong, China teams at major Games, including the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
The National Games are held every four years and are the nation’s highest-level and largest multi-sports event and I am delighted at the effort of sailor Nicholas Halliday to claim Hong Kong, China’s first gold medal of the Games with victory in the men’s single-handed dinghy ILCA 7 class in Shanwei, Guangdong.
To encourage HKSAR athletes and to promote sports development, the Club is continuing its practice under the Jockey Club Athlete Incentive Awards Scheme (JCAIAS), launched in 2023, of providing cash awards to Hong Kong, China athletes who excel in major sporting events.
These include the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Asian Games, Asian Para Games, World University Games, National Games and National Games for Persons with Disabilities together with their respective Winter Games. So far, nearly HK$76 million in cash incentives has been granted to date.
Hong Kong, China athletes who win medals at the 15th National Games are eligible for the cash awards with individual and team gold medallists receiving HK$750,000 and HK$1,500,000, respectively.
I congratulate Nicholas for his fantastic achievement.
The Hong Kong season continues at Sha Tin on Thursday night (30 October) with a meeting on the All-Weather Track. The Class 3 Pyramid Hill Handicap is carded as Race 8 at 10.50pm and will be run over 1650m for prizemoney of HK$2,050,000.
The pace will be good to fast with NEW FOREST (Lyle Hewitson) and PRECISION GOAL (Britney Wong) attempting to vie for the lead from wide barriers. ARIEL (Ellis Wong) will also be prominent from gate one. TOURBILLON PRINCE (Brenton Avdulla) and CHILL KAKA (Richard Kingscote) should also be prominent.
MOJAVE DESERT (Andrea Atzeni) raced in a midfield position and finished off well when third to stable mates SING DRAGON and TALENTS AMBITION in stronger company over this course and distance on 4 October. MOJAVE DESERT won impressively at his previous start and is a win and place chance.
MR ENERGIA (Zac Purton) is a specialist on the surface but his three wins on the All Weather have been over 1200m, including at his last start on 12 October when he easily beat BLAZING WIND and GIANT LEAP. MR ENERGIA has drawn well in gate four and is a place chance.
ARIEL has drawn well and should get a good run behind the leader here. He led at his most recent start and held on well for third over 1800m on Turf on 4 October behind MIGHTY STRENGTH. ARIEL has won three races on this surface and is a place chance.
PRECISION GOAL continues to climb the ratings, having won three times over this course and distance last year and has won both his starts this year. PRECISION GOAL has been able to lead and win from a wide gate previously and is a place chance.
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