Almost a week has now passed since the 2025 LONGINES Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) and the overwhelmingly positive response to the staging of our flagship meeting last Sunday (14 December) at Sha Tin has been extremely gratifying.
The generous praise by the international media for the four 2025 LONGINES HKIR champions – SOSIE, KA YING RISING, VOYAGE BUBBLE and ROMANTIC WARRIOR – has been unanimous and demonstrates that our media friends have a deep appreciation of elite horse racing, champion trainers and jockeys.
LONGINES HKIR was broadcast live into 40 different countries and regions, creating tremendous global focus on this amazing city and our incredible horse racing, which continues to draw visitors from around the world as a high-quality tourist attraction to Hong Kong.
On Sunday, we hosted a record 13,370 tourists at LONGINES HKIR, doubling last season’s number at the corresponding meeting. This figure included almost 10,000 Chinese Mainland visitors – an increase of more than 50 percent on last year. This season alone, the number of tourists to have attended Sha Tin and Happy Valley Racecourses is more than 110,000, which demonstrates the growing global appeal of our world-class racing.
Based on customer feedback, our international and local guests thoroughly enjoyed the meeting and commented positively on the performances of Now United and Rain as well as myriad dining and hospitality experiences.
A recurring theme featuring in the feedback was the tremendous admiration attendees had for the quality of champion horses on display throughout the meeting, notably ROMANTIC WARRIOR, KA YING RISING, VOYAGE BUBBLE and SOSIE, while the efforts of SOUL RUSH, BELLAGIO OPERA, QUISISANA, GIAVELLOTTO, GOLIATH and RED LION also drew high praise.
Our challenge now is to improve on this year’s meeting to ensure the 2026 LONGINES HKIR delivers at the highest level and, as a matter of course, we will thoroughly review last Sunday’s meeting to explore ways in which we can make our premier meeting even better.
ROMANTIC WARRIOR has over the past two seasons proved to be one of the true greats on the international horseracing stage, winning the G1 W. S. Cox Plate (2040m) in Australia, the G1 Yasuda Kinen (1600m) in Japan and the G1 Jebel Hatta (1800m) in Dubai as well as dominating at home, and also producing narrow runner-up finishes in the G1 Saudi Cup (1800m, dirt) in Riyadh and the G1 Dubai Turf (1800m).
His extraordinary globetrotting feats have brought tremendous credit on Hong Kong, his owner Mr Peter Lau, jockey James McDonald and trainer Danny Shum and his professional stable staff, but I am delighted that ROMANTIC WARRIOR will remain at home this season to contest the lucrative Triple Crown Series – paving the way for an incredible clash with VOYAGE BUBBLE.
VOYAGE BUBBLE last season became only the second horse in Hong Kong racing history after RIVER VERDON (1993-94) to win the Triple Crown with victories in the G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m), G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) and G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2400m) and his trainer Ricky Yiu is already committed to a title defence.
The prospect of two of Hong Kong’s three ‘Heavenly Horses Kings’ competing against each other over three different distances is tremendously exciting and I cannot wait to see it come to fruition with the first race in the Triple Crown Series – the G1 Stewards’ Cup – at Sha Tin on 25 January.
Hong Kong, China’s reputation as a global equine hub was further enhanced with a string of conferences during LONGINES HKIR week and we were delighted this week to host an extremely important conference designed to enhance the safety and welfare of thoroughbred racehorses through scientific innovation and collaboration.
The conference was co-organised by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Equine Welfare Research Foundation (the Foundation) and three overseas partners – The Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, The Horserace Betting Levy Board and the Japan Racing Association – and attracted 220 speakers and delegates from 25 countries.
With a theme of “Applying Science to the Care of the Thoroughbred Racehorse”, the three-day conference was aimed at bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and practical application in the racing industry as participants explored the pivotal role of science in safeguarding racehorse welfare, sharing groundbreaking findings with real-world potential, and discussing actionable strategies to bring about positive change.
The safety and welfare of thoroughbred racehorses have always been at the heart of what the Club does and the Club has established a comprehensive equine welfare programme encompassing every stage of a racehorse’s life, from importation, training and racing through to post-retirement.
The Club is also committed to the global advancement of equine welfare through continuous scientific research. Since the establishment of the Foundation in 2020 with a HK$600 million donation from the Club, it has allocated more than HK$60 million to support 46 equine-related scientific studies worldwide.
At Sha Tin on Saturday (20 December), the Class 2 Ivy Handicap is carded as Race 9 and will be run over 1200m at 5.05pm with prizemoney of HK$2.84 million.
The pace will be good with BOTTOMUPTOGETHER (James McDonald) likely to lead from CRIMSON FLASH (Andrea Atzeni, who is ideally drawn in gate one. MAGIC CONTROL (Jerry Chau) and LADY’S CHOICE (Derek Leung) will also settle in the leading group.
PATCH OF STARS (Zac Purton) has won his past two starts and handled the step up in class with ease last start when he held off INVINCIBLE SHIELD (Vincent Ho) to win impressively. PATCH OF STARS has had an easy trial since that win and is at risk to be trapped wide from his draw in gate 10. In my view, he is still a win and place chance.
My second choice is INVINCIBLE SHIELD, who was beaten only a neck by PATCH OF STARS in November and was a creditable fourth last start on the All Weather Track and has Vincent on board.
CRIMSON FLASH found COLOURFUL KING too good down the 1000m straight course on 30 November, but his previous form was excellent, posting three impressive wins on end. CRIMSON FLASH will get a good run from his draw and is also a win and place chance.
LADY’S CHOICE had to work hard from a wide gate and held on well in the straight when sixth to PATCH OF STARS on 16 November and then was outpaced down the straight course when sixth to COLOURFUL KING on 30 November over 1000m. Drawn well in gate five, LADY’S CHOICE is a place chance.
BOTTOMUPTOGETHER was slow to begin and got back to last early and ran home well to finish sixth to GORGEOUS WIN on the All Weather on 7 December. With a clean start, BOTTOMUPTOGETHER can also run well as a place chance.
Of the other runners, GORGEOUS WIN (Hugh Bowman) was impressive beating several of his rivals here on the All Weather Track last start and is drawn well.
The Class 3 Poinsettia Handicap is carded as Race 11 and will be run over 1600m at 6.15pm and we have some exciting four-year-old rising stars with Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) potential locking horns over the Classic Mile distance.
DAZZLING FIT, who is the choice of James McDonald, is trained by David Eustace and is proven over the mile, while INVINCIBLE IBIS, who will be ridden by Zac Purton and is trained by Mark Newnham, is working very well and steps up in distance for the first time.
He is progressing well with other interesting four-year-olds, including FORTUNE BOY from the David Hayes stable and TIN FOOK from David Hall’s stable.
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