It’s amazing to think that this Sunday’s Sha Tin meeting means we are already a third of the way into a new season and the last few months show how swiftly and dramatically things can change when you combine a fast-moving sport like racing with a high-energy city such as Hong Kong.
Joao Moreira has left and come back to a new role and a different landscape, with Zac Purton and Karis Teetan going strongly at the top of the jockeys’ table and recent arrivals like Silvestre de Sousa making a major impact at the highest level. One way or another, the next few months promise to be very informative and exciting on the jockey front.
Frankie Lor’s G1 double with Mr Stunning and Glorious Forever means last year’s promising newcomer has now blossomed into a genuine Hong Kong star, while Jimmy Ting has got off to a similarly impressive start to his first season by saddling 20 winners at a strike rate (one winner to every five runners) that none of his training rivals have been able to come close to.
Hong Kong riders are also doing well – Vincent Ho, Matthew Poon, Victor Wong and Dylan Mo are all in the top ten with over 60 winners between them since September – and we move into the second phase of the season with four LONGINES HKIR winners at the peak of their powers and Beauty Generation on the verge of being crowned as the best miler in the world.
Who knows what the next three months will bring, but the early steps towards the BMW Hong Kong Derby on 17 March are now being taken and we have some very interesting imports in action at Sha Tin this weekend in the Lukfook Jewellery Cup in Race 9.
This Class 2 Handicap with an extended rating band of 105 to 80 over 1400m has attracted proven Class 2 performers like Citron Spirit, Conte, World Record and Regency Bo Bo as well as potential rising stars like Furore, Gold Chest, Heavenly Thought, King Of Hearts and Bear Slam for the 4yo Classic Series on the way to the BMW Hong Kong Derby.
The pace is expected to be good, which should give every horse a fair chance, but on the C+3 Course horses in the front of the field have a slight advantage as it is more difficult for those coming from the back to find a run on the inside.
Regency Bo Bo is a natural front runner but Conte will be close up along with Magic Legend and newcomer Gold Chest has been showing enough in trials to suggest he can also be prominent. Conte is working very well and his reappearance was very good being ridden forward from gate 14. He is ideally placed coming out of gate 4 this time and is the horse to beat.
Citron Spirit is in good form and looks a place chance despite carrying top weight of 130lb. World Record is in fine form with a course and distance win on his last start. He has to come from the back, which makes it more a little more difficult, but I have him as a place chance too.
Regency Bo Bo should be never be underestimated, especially on the good to firm ground we will likely have on Sunday. He is still a place chance but I prefer others more.
One of the newcomers I like a lot is Gold Chest, who is working very well and comes to Hong Kong from the UK having won both his starts in Great Britain, including a Listed Race over 1600m. He should be well positioned and can run a place.
While Furore is working well, gate 13 does not make it easy and his best form is over a longer distances. I expect him to run well but I prefer King Of Hearts, a northern hemisphere 3yo with 5 wins from 7 starts. He was an excellent second to the subsequent Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Expert Eye in the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot on good to firm ground on his latest start and looks a very interesting horse for Hong Kong.
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