The big day is upon us. The LONGINES Hong Kong International Races is really a week-long event headlined by our Sunday races, but sees the entire industry gather in Hong Kong for our annual year-end celebration. No less than 12 meetings and conferences occur during the week with members of the IFHA and Asian Racing Federation, as well as several others. HKIR week has become racing’s year-end reunion and is going a long way to show just how significant Hong Kong is as a racing jurisdiction, more than ever at the centre of the industry.
We hosted 12 world-class jockeys at Happy Valley in our LONGINES International Jockeys Championship on Wednesday it was a great night. One of our home representatives Zac Purton came up the eventual winner with his victories aboard Our Hero and Let’s Take It Easy in the four-race series. After two previous seconds in the IJC, this was surely a sweet win for Zac.
We had an exceptional night with more than 29,000 racegoers and we were also delighted to book a record of HK$1.3 billion turnover for the IJC night. It might serve as a good omen for Zac for the HKIR at Sha Tin tomorrow. He will be hoping to keep up a tremendous run at the HKIR following two wins last year Aerovelocity and Beauty Only, who is back to defend his title in the Hong Kong Mile.
28 horses from five overseas jurisdictions will meet our local stars, with 22 individual Group 1 winners scheduled to face off in the four G1 races and a record HK$84.5 million in prize money. I attended the overseas runners’ trackwork sessions on Friday and greatly enjoyed watching the horses going through their final paces. I watched some of the other trackwork sessions via our livecast and must say that I thought Max Dynamite looked particularly good for trainer Willie Mullins in the Vase, which has drawn a tremendous field, perhaps the best in the history of the race.
For the LONGINES Hong Kong Vase over 2400m which is run as Race 4, the pace is expected to be good-to-slow which should give all horses a good chance to perform as long as it does not get too slow resulting in a sprint. Highland Reel is working very well and should be ideally placed, and I believe that Sha Tin fits his action better than the Del Mar turf track, and is my first choice in his final race before going to stud. Talismanic is in great form, working very well, and should be ideally placed too and is a win and place chance in my view.
Tiberian was trapped wide in his last start in the Melbourne Cup and looks to be in good shape while I see him not as a win chance but rather as a place chance in my view, as is Max Dynamite, who looks good but both may not have the speed to go with the two highest-rated horses.
The LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint is Race 5 and the start of the 1200m makes it not easy for horses with an outside draw. The pace is expected to be good and Japanese filly Once In A Moon is likely intent on leading. Peniaphobia should go forward too with The Right Man from out wide. Signs Of Blessing had a terrible draw last year and will likely enjoy a better run, while Lucky Bubbles will be sitting on the back of the speed from the rail. Mr Stunning should get a great trip just off the rail.
Mr Stunning, Lucky Bubbles, Amazing Kids as well as Thewizardofoz are working exceptionally well and I would be surprised if the Sprint does not stay in Hong Kong. Lucky Bubbles is one of the most unlucky horses stuck in traffic, but when the chips are down, I see him still as a great chance to win the race with Mr Stunning being an equal good chance. Peniaphobia is a chance for a place as is Amazing Kids, while Thewizardofoz could beat all if he shows up like in his last start last season, winning over 1400m and clocking the last 400m in 21.68s.
The LONGINES Hong Kong Mile is Race 7 and the pace is expected to be good to slow. Beauty Generation will go forward and it is possible both Roly Poly and Lancaster Bomber will be forwardly placed. Karar can be prominent too, tracking the pace with Contentment and Horse Of Fortune next. Lightning Spear should track with Seasons Bloom likely in midpack. Helene Paragon and Beauty Only will be near the rear.
Beauty Generation has improved and is working really well now, as is Seasons Bloom. Both are win and place chances. Contentment was working exceptionally well and I would not exclude him from potentially surprising them all. Lancaster Bomber is the only 3-year-old colt in the field, but second in the Breeders’ Cup Mile and a liking for firm going should help him challenge the Hong Kong team. Satono Aladdin was disappointing in his last outing, but as a winner of the Yasuda Kinen, should not be underestimated.
The LONGINES Hong Kong Cup is Race 8 and the sporting highlight of our racing season. The pace is expected to be good, which will give every horse a chance to show its best. British entrant Robin Of Navan has led in three of his four most recent starts, and is always close. Time Warp is a free runner and does not have to lead but will surely be prominent. Neorealism should be prominent too. Werther should sit in midpack with an inside run with Staphanos and Smart Layer behind. Poet’s Word should be near the back.
Werther, Poet’s Word and Time Warp are all working very well and I like Poet’s Word as well as Neorealism from their gallops. Werther will have improved from his last start, but faces a very strong opposition from Neorealism and Poet’s Word.
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