The appearance of MY WISH in a Happy Valley barrier trial on Saturday morning (10 January) served as a reminder of the importance of the upcoming Four-Year-Old Classic Series while also underlining the building anticipation ahead of the G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m) on 25 January.
MY WISH was the outstanding performer in last season’s Four-Year-Old Classic Series, winning the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) and finishing second in both the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) and HK$26 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m).
On 25 January, MY WISH will throw down the gauntlet to ROMANTIC WARRIOR and VOYAGE BUBBLE – both winners of the Hong Kong Classic Mile and BMW Hong Kong Derby – in what shapes as a monumental first leg of the Triple Crown Series in the Stewards’ Cup.
The Stewards’ Cup looms as one of the highlights of the season and, given the decorated nature of ROMANTIC WARRIOR and VOYAGE BUBBLE, gives further context to the vital relevance of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series.
An impressive trial winner yesterday, My Wish is yet to win at Group 1 level but has the clear potential to measure up at the highest level based on his rating of 122 and six wins and five placings from only 15 starts.
The Racing Club continues to deliver for passionate Hong Kong racing participants
Since its establishment in 2007/08, The Racing Club (TRC) has become an integral part of Hong Kong racing as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Hong Kong Jockey Club and today (11 January) we celebrate the TRC with the running of the Class 2 Racing Club Cup Handicap.
The Racing Club brings together a community of racing enthusiasts who share a passion for world-class racing and the lifestyle surrounding it. The TRC allows passionate racing participants the chance to share horse racing in a fresh, contemporary fashion while also offering ownership experiences with horses trained by champion trainers including John Size and Caspar Fownes.
Pleasingly, TRC has grown significantly in recent years to be the largest private racing club globally, with 10 horses in training and now over 1,700 Members. The Club’s pathway to ownership has also strengthened with this expansion with over 250 current Members taking part in Syndicate Ownership.
Several of this season’s Four-Year-Old Series contenders appear at Sha Tin today (11 January), including LITTLE PARADISE, PUBLIC ATTENTION, INFINITE RESOLVE, INVINCIBLE IBIS, BEAUTY BOLT and DARYL FLASH.
LITTLE PARADISE, PUBLIC ATTENTION and INFINITE RESOLVE will compete against older horses in the Class 2 Racing Club Cup Handicap, which is carded as Race 8 and will be run over 1400m at 4.05pm with prizemoney of HK$2.84 million.
The pace will be good with DROMBEG BANNER (Maxime Guyon) likely to lead from gate eight. BEAUTY CRESCENT (Angus Chung) will be in the leading group, with LITTLE PARADISE (Zac Purton) and HEALTHY HAPPY (Jerry Chau) also going forward. Stablemates DANCING CODE (Ellis Wong) and SKY TRUST (Hugh Bowman) both have wide draws and are at risk of being caught wide.
LITTLE PARADISE is drawn perfectly in gate four and should get the run of the race. Last start, LITTLE PARADISE settled outside the leader and after taking the front passing the 300m mark came away to win from TOP DRAGON over this course and distance. He looked good beating SING DRAGON in a recent trial and LITTLE PARADISE is a win and place chance.
PUBLIC ATTENTION (Andrea Atzeni) has shaped well in his two runs in Hong Kong and at his most recent start ran a close third over 1400m to AERIS NOVA. PUBLIC ATTENTION has drawn well in gate five and is a place chance along with INVINCIBLE SHIELD (Vincent Ho), who is racing consistently.
INFINITE RESOLVE (Alexis Badel) is another emerging four-year-old and impressed last start when winning over 1200m on 1 January, beating MIGHTY MASTS. INFINITE RESOLVE goes up in class but, with only 116lb, is a place chance.
This is a very strong race with most runners having winning chances. DROMBEG BANNER and MID WINTER WIND (Matthew Chadwick) ran well behind AERIS NOVA on 14 December, finishing second and fourth, respectively, and both should run well again here.
The Class 3 (Restricted) Pak Shek Au Handicap is carded as Race 10 and will be run over 1600m at 5.15pm with prizemoney of HK$2.05 million.
The pace will be good with URANUS STAR (Luke Ferraris) likely to lead from LEGEND WINNER (Lyle Hewitson) and HOTT SHOTT (Matthew Poon). INVINCIBLE IBIS (Hugh Bowman) is likely to be midfield from gate three while BEAUTY BOLT (Zac Purton) could be caught wide unless he drops to the tail of the field.
INVINCIBLE IBIS has won three races in a row under Zac Purton but, because of an early commitment to ride BEAUTY BOLT, Hugh Bowman takes the ride today. INVINCIBLE IBIS has been very impressive this season and, as a course and distance winner, is my win and place selection.
BEAUTY BOLT is also a course and distance winner and was narrowly beaten last start by DAZZLING FIT. He has to contend with the widest barrier today, but he is the hardest for INVINCIBLE IBIS to beat.
FIT FOR BEAUTY (Andrea Atzeni) is another course and distance winner and carries only 117lb today, a drop of 17lb from his Class 4 win under James McDonald on 20 December. He is a place chance along with LEGEND WINNER and DARYL FLASH (Dylan Browne McMonagle).
In Race 11, which is a Class 3 over 1400m, we have another 10 four-year-olds participating, hoping to improve their chances to be in the field of the Hong Kong Classic Mile.
The pace will be good and while HELENE SUPAFEELING, who will be ridden by Hugh Bowman, has to come from the back of the field, he is my first choice for a win and place after his impressive debut win over 1200m in Class 3. The extra distance should suit him.
CIRCUIT GRAND SLAM, under Vincent Ho, will come the back of the field and is a place chance along with STORMY GROVE, under Harry Bentley, and TIN FOOK, under Zac Purton, who are other promising four-year-olds.
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