The appearance of KA YING RISING – the world’s highest-rated racehorse in 2026 – at Sha Tin on Monday (6 April) heralds the start of one of the most exciting phases in the 2025/26 Hong Kong season.
Chasing a record-extending 19th victory when he contests the G2 Sprint Cup (1200m), KA YING RISING headlines an outstanding program of racing which also features three other Group 1 winners – VOYAGE BUBBLE, RED LION and LUCKY SWEYNESSE – in the G2 Chairman’s Trophy (1600m).
The G2 Sprint Cup and G2 Chairman’s Trophy will provide a fascinating prelude to FWD Champions Day at Sha Tin on 26 April, when our spring flagship meeting takes centre stage with Hong Kong’s global champion ROMANTIC WARRIOR bidding for an unprecedented fourth FWD QEII Cup (2000m) victory against a host of top-class rivals.
With final field selections imminent for FWD Champions Day – when Hong Kong’s finest horses, trainers and jockeys will vie with elite opposition from abroad – the fields for each of the three FWD Champions Day features are shaping promisingly.
International competition is the pinnacle of our sport and there is already a palpable sense of excitement and anticipation ahead of FWD Champions Day and the running of the HK$24 million G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m), HK$24 million G1 FWD Champions Mile (1600m) and the HK$30 million FWD QEII Cup.
Last Wednesday’s (1 April) Sha Tin All Weather Track meeting generated significant landmarks with Tony Cruz and Nichola Yuen featuring prominently.
I would like to congratulate Tony on his 1,600th victory as a trainer, a milestone reached by only two other trainers in Hong Kong – John Moore (1,735 wins) and John Size (1,645).
Apart from being a member of this exclusive club, Tony also rode 946 wins in Hong Kong as a six-time champion jockey and he is a legend of our sport.
Nichola is at the very start of her Hong Kong career, but she took only two rides to post her first winner in the jurisdiction with a clever ride on PI LEGEND, who started from gate 12 before Nichola gradually angled him across the field and into the lead to control the race.
Utilising her 10-pound advantage to good effect, Nichola also managed two thirds, a fourth and an eighth from her four other rides on Wednesday and she could not have hoped for a much better Hong Kong debut.
It was also wonderful to see Britney Wong riding on the same card as Nichola after returning from injury and also riding a winner for Tony.
Our World Pool operation takes in top-class international racing on Saturday (4 April) with Doncaster Mile Day and South African Derby Day.
The first of eight races from Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia will be simulcast from 10.35am with our eight-time Hong Kong champion jockey Zac Purton taking eight rides at the meeting.
The G1 T J Smith Stakes carded as S1-5 and run over 1200m at 12.55pm. The pace will be good, and the track is predicted to be soft.
Several horses in this race ran in the 2025 G1 The Everest (1200m) over this course and distance behind KA YING RISING – JIMMYSSTAR (third), OVERPASS (fourth), JOLIESTAR (fifth), BRIASA (eighth), MAZU (ninth) and MAGIC TIME (12th).
TENTYRIS (Mark Zahra) has drawn gate one and is unbeaten at the course and distance and is poised to atone defeat in the G1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington when he finished fifth and was subsequently found to have cardiac arrhythmia. He is a win and place chance.
Zac rides GIGA KICK, who relishes rain-affected ground and is a place chance along with JIMMYSSTAR (Ethan Brown), JOLIESTAR (James McDonald) and BRIASA (Tyler Schiller).
The G1 Doncaster Mile is carded as S1-6 and run over 1600m at 1.35pm.
SHEZA ALIBI is an emerging star in Australian racing and is taking on older horses after easily winning the G1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) over this course and distance. She will carry only 108lb under Jamie Melham and, despite drawing gate 13, is a win and place chance.
Zac rides EVAPORATE who, along with LINEBACKER (Zac Lloyd), holds an entry for FWD Champions Day. Both are place chances, along with AUTUMN BOY (Kerrin McEvoy), GRINGOTTS (Nash Rawiller), PERICLES (Craig Williams), HEADLEY GRANGE (Jason Collett) and SIXTIES (Rachel King) in a wide-open race.
The first of four races from South African Derby Day from Turffontein Racecourse in Johannesburg, South Africa will be run at 8.25pm.
The G1 HKJC World Pool Premier’s Champions Challenge is carded as S2-3 and run over 2000m at 9.35pm.
Champion trainer Justin Snaith is strongly represented with SEE IT AGAIN (Craig Zachey) and OKAVANGO (Richard Fourie).
SEE IT AGAIN ran second to TIN PAN ALLEY in the G1 H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes (1600m) at Turffontein in March and is better suited at 2000m and is a win and place chance.
Three-year-old colt GRAND EMPIRE (Ryan Munger) is well suited under the weight conditions and are both place chances.
The G2 South African Derby is carded as S2-4 and run over 2450m at 10.15pm.
Mike and Mathew de Kock are represented by top filly CURIOUS GIRL and, after posting four wins from six starts up to 2400m, she is a win and place chance for Richard Fourie.
DIOGENES (Muzi Yeni) has won his past two starts and is a place chance along with TEXAS MISSILE (Calvin Habib), MASTER SPY (Ryan Munger) and SALANI KAHLE (Sean Veale).
On Sunday (5 April), the first of eight races will be simulcast from Hanshin Racecourse in Japan from 11.25am with the G1 Osaka Hai carded as S3-7 and run over 2000m at 2.40pm.
G1 Japanese Derby (2400m) winner CROIX DU NORD ran well when fourth behind CALANDAGAN in the G1 Japan Cup (2400m) in November and is a win and place chance for Yuichi Kitamura.
Fellow Japanese Derby champion DANON DECILE is the hardest to beat for Ryusei Sakai, while SHOHEI (Yuga Kawada), LEBENSSTIL (Christophe Lemaire) and MEISHO TABARU (Yutaka Take) are place chances.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Easter Holiday.
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