In my blog a week ago I mentioned Joao Moreira was just six wins away from matching Douglas Whyte’s all-time record of 114 wins in a season. We didn’t need to wait too long as it just took Joao three race meetings to equal Douglas’ mark, thanks to his hat-trick of wins at Happy Valley on Wednesday.
Joao is a driven competitor so it was natural that he stated afterwards that he is determined to continue trying his best for the rest of the season. Although he will be riding at the Singapore International Racing Festival at Kranji this Sunday, he said he would first concentrate on his rides at Sha Tin later today when he hopes to take the record outright. He also set a bold target of riding at least a winner at each of the remaining race meetings, which, if he did that, would give him a final tally of 131 for the entire campaign. It’s nice to see a top professional athlete like Joao in expressing his strong desire to continue to succeed, and his sincere comments to applaud Douglas’s great achievements over the past 15 years or so. That reflected the great sportsmanship as shared among our jockeys and horsemen, showing utmost respect and huge appreciation to the good work and top efforts of other jockeys in races.
While this world-class jockey continues his top performances, the horse that Joao hailed as the best ever he has ridden, Able Friend, has again ranked top in the latest version of LONGINES World's Best Racehorse Rankings as announced by the IFHA late on Thursday. He continues to share the top spot with American horse Shared Belief.
This exceptional five-year-old will have a chance to improve his rating and extend his reputation on the world stage in England next month, as according to news reports, the plan for him to go for the G1 Queen Anne Stakes at the Royal Ascot is pretty confirmed, so long as he continues to please connections with his wellbeing in the interim. I believe many will be hoping that he will have a smooth preparation both before and after his departure to the UK early next month.
Before we get to that much anticipated European adventure, another five Group 1 winners from Hong Kong will show their credentials at Kranji in Singapore this weekend. Hong Kong has won both the SIA Cup and the KrisFlyer International Sprint for the past two years and it would be quite something if Hong Kong runners could achieve a hat-trick in both races – a double hat-trick – though it will not be easy.
Hong Kong connections were generally blessed by lady luck at the barrier draw ceremony on Thursday, as they drew some good gates in both events. Last year’s SIA Cup winner Dan Excel is the only Hong Kong runner to start out wide on Sunday, but his trainer John Moore also said it’s not a big deal as the horse possesses gate speed and can move to the inside quickly after the jump. I also learnt from my Club colleagues who have arrived in Singapore that the Hong Kong runners have looked good at trackwork this week, especially Aerovelocity who appears to be settled in his work. I also noted that Lucky Nine showed some of his old spark on Friday morning, so hopefully he can return to form as he aims for his own hat-trick in the KrisFlyer.
For the two Group 1 races in Singapore, I expect Hong Kong to continue its dominance of the KrisFlyer International Sprint with Aerovelocity a win and place chance coming off his Group 1 success in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen in Japan. The LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint winner is in the best form of his career and must be regarded as one of the top turf sprinters in the world. Lucky Nine has won this race in each of the last two years and I expect he will improve on his recent form and make him a place chance along with Singapore’s duo Emperor Max and Zac Spirit.
In the Group 1 SIA Cup, Dan Excel and Military Attack head the Hong Kong team after taking turns winning the last two runnings of this race. Dan Excel comes off a good effort in the slowly run Champions Mile and takes a similar path into this year’s race. He is a win and place chance for me despite his wide draw, as he has natural speed to get a good position. Military Attack finished seventh in the APQEII Cup but was beaten less than a length for second and has a good record in Singapore. He is a solid place chance.
Japanese runner Meiner Frost is coming off two good runs and is a place chance in his current form. He defeated a modest field in his last start but there was merit in his run in the G2 Nakayama Kinen in March, when he was narrowly beaten for third by Staphanos, a horse that came on to Hong Kong to finish second in the APQEII Cup. Free Port Lux comes in from France and should be considered if the track is wet.
Before departing to Singapore, I will still attend today’s race meeting at Sha Tin as it is the annual 18 Districts Cup day. Connect, collaborate and contribute to the community is the theme of the day this year, which largely sums up the Club’s vital role in the local community. It also provides us all with a perfect occasion to again meeting those important figures and leaders who are coming from different local districts. I hope all these guests will enjoy this exciting day of racing at Sha Tin.
For the 10 races on the card, there are eight races on the turf and two others on the all-weather track. The highlight race is definitely the 18 Districts Cup, a Class 3 1200m which will be run as Race 5. Five of the horses in the race are relatively newcomers to Hong Kong. Sun Jewellery comes off two solid wins in Australia in 2014 and has come to hand quickly since arriving in Hong Kong, with three promising trials in preparation for his local debut. He is likely to push forward from his wide draw to contest the early pace along with Star Of Bond and French newcomer Circuit Land.
Lucky Bubbles is another recent Australian import, making only his second start in Hong Kong, whilst stretching out a furlong to a more suitable distance. He has worked well and is a place chance along with Sun Jewellery. Spicy Sure is a win and place chance for me as he makes the third start of his Hong Kong career. He has encountered a bit of trouble in each of his two runs thus far but has shown some promise and figures to be in for the fight from his midfield position. Kynam is a bit of an outsider but remains a place chance as he returns to his preferred track after a good effort at Happy Valley.
The seventh race on the card is the Skol Cup for milers at the Class 2 level and the very consistent Celestial Smile is an each way chance in his current form. He has run a place in each of his seven starts this season, including three wins, after beginning the season on a rating of 60. Apollo’s Choice, a last start winner, is drawn wide this time but has shown continued improvement with each start since arriving in Hong Kong and is a place chance along with Selkirk Star and Club Life.
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