This weekend we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Beijing Clubhouse. Our Beijing Clubhouse Members share the Club’s purpose of acting continuously for the betterment of our society. Since its inception, the Beijing Clubhouse has organized a series of charitable events, raising funds to support education and children’s welfare projects in the Chinese Mainland, and we welcome some of its Members to Sha Tin tomorrow. For all of our Club Members, we will host a series of celebratory anniversary events over the coming weeks and I invite Members to learn more about them in the latest edition of Badges Magazine.
Two big Group 2 races headline our Sunday meeting, which is just three weeks away from our inaugural Champions Day – a Group 1 tripleheader which includes the Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup, Champions Mile and Chairman’s Sprint Prize. Many of our local horses aiming for the big prizes on Champions Day will have their final runs in these HK$4 million events.
Tomorrow’s edition will be the 11th running of the Sprint Cup, and the third time it has been run at this early April spot on the calendar. The last two winners of the race, Lucky Bubbles and Mr Stunning have gone on to claim Group 1 glory subsequently. The legendary Sacred Kingdom won the first two runnings of the Sprint Cup in 2008 and 2009, while Little Bridge won this race prior to a memorable win at Royal Ascot in his next start.
The Sprint Cup has drawn a field of eight over the 1200m of the C course and is run as race seven. The pace is projected to be good to slow, with Peniaphobia the likely leader with Winner’s Way and Not Listenin’tome expected to track. Mr Stunning should enjoy a nice transit from midfield with Born In China and Dundonnell, who won this race in 2015, near the back. Amazing Kids, who was drawn widest, could settle near the rear along with Beat The Clock, who also has an outside draw.
In the Sprint Cup, Mr Stunning can move another step closer to Champion Sprinter but must shoulder a five pound penalty for his Group 1 win in December’s Hong Kong Sprint. He should get a beautiful run just off a moderate early pace as he attempts to win this race for a second straight year. Last season, he closed from far back to win clear. His current form is superb and he is a win and place chance along with equally consistent Beat The Clock. There is very little between them when you factor in the five pound difference in the weights.
Born In China has always been a better horse at Happy Valley but this is his chance to make an impression at Sha Tin. He is well drawn and set for his best effort. He is a place chance along with the fast finishing Amazing Kids.
The Chairman’s Trophy was first run in 1999 when it was originally restricted to 3-year-olds over 1400m. Charming City, who went on to claim several big races later in his career, including the Chairman’s Sprint Prize, was the inaugural winner of this event which has evolved into an open race run in the spring over 1600m. The likes of Bullish Luck (2005), Able One (2010) and Able Friend (2015) tasted victory in the Chairman’s Trophy before their Champions Mile wins.
Time Warp is the projected early leader in this field to no one’s surprise, but it is worth remembering he did miss the break in the Stewards’ Cup over this distance in January before returning to his best in the Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup. Beauty Generation and Fifty Fifty should be in close attendance with Dinozzo and Pingwu Spark, who could have a wide journey from gate 10, next. Pakistan Star is projected to travel in midfield with Western Express while Joyful Trinity, Helene Paragon and Beauty Only are likely to assume their expected spots in the early running near the back.
The Chairman’s Trophy is run as our eighth race and brings together our Hong Kong Cup winner Time Warp and Hong Kong Mile winner Beauty Generation, both spotting their opposition five pounds over the mile distance.
Time Warp has won five of his last nine, and his only subpar effort during that time came in the Group 1 Stewards’ Cup when he missed the start and was a tough trip victim from a wide draw. He is a top class horse, however, with natural speed to be right on the pace along with Beauty Generation and is a win and place chance. Interestingly, this race was won last year by 2017/18 Horse of the Year Rapper Dragon and it may tilt the scale again this time in deciding our top champion.
Beauty Generation, Fifty Fifty and Pakistan Star are all class horses with place chances as they figure to be in the mix over the concluding stages. Pakistan Star is winless in four tries at the distance and he clearly wants further, but this is his third race back off an extended layoff and he will show improvement if the pace is honest.
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