Sunday’s card at Sha Tin has always held a special place in Hong Kong’s racing calendar and this year is no exception.
With three G2 races offering more than HK$12 million in prize money this is clearly a very significant day in its own right, but the fact that it is linked so closely with LONGINES HKIR has always given it added significance.
And a study of the last ten years provides a clear illustration that this is a day when our very best horses flex their muscles ahead of our December showpiece.
In all, a total of 22 horses who contested the Jockey Club Sprint, Mile and Cup during that period have gone on to win HKIR races three weeks later.
It takes a special horse to win on both days but Beauty Generation and Mr Stunning have done so in the last two years and that pair are joined by ten other G1 winners and some of our most promising up-and-coming young horses.
Difficulties in ensuring that staff and racegoers could get to and from the racecourse led to the cancellation of Wednesday’s Happy Valley meeting and traffic and transport issues remain relevant for Sunday’s card.
Happy Valley Racecourse remains open for cross betting but racegoers planning to attend Sha Tin are advised to pay close attention to the latest transport updates. Once again, we thank our supporters and hope for their continued understanding but we must be cautious as we cannot be sure that all normal entry and exit points will be functional, especially once racing is over.
Moving on to Sunday’s action, the Jockey Club Mile is the first of three consecutive G2 races with Beauty Generation the obvious win and place chance as he bids to make amends for a shock defeat behind Rise High and Waikuku in the Sha Tin Trophy. He will establish the running along with Ka Ying Star and will most likely hand up the lead to move into a two-wide position outside the leader. The pace will be moderate.
Waikuku is the main danger and is a place chance. He will do his running from the back and though he is 13lbs worse off at the weights this time, he comes into the race in top form. Ka Ying Star is consistent over course and distance and is also a place chance.
In the Jockey Club Cup at 2000 metres, Time Warp and Glorious Forever will ensure a good pace with Southern Legend and Furore in close contention. The others will be midfield or worse.
Rise High is vastly improved and his last three races show that he fits well alongside the top horses in Hong Kong. He will need to come from the back but is a win and place chance in his current form, which includes that win over Beauty Generation in his last start.
Exultant is the horse to beat. This is his second-up run and he has excellent form over this trip. He is a solid place chance. Southern Legend benefitted from a perfect trip winning the G3 Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse in his last start and should get the gun run here. He is a place chance along with Furore.
In the Jockey Club Sprint, which shapes up as the race of the day, the four highest rated horses are making their initial start of the season. Mr Stunning, past winner of the LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint for each of the last two years, has looked sensational in his barrier trials. He has drawn wide and will be further back than accustomed.
Beat The Clock and Hot King Prawn are very good first-up and, like Mr Stunning, are consistent sprinters. The new kids on the block, notably Regency Legend and Aethero, have shown flashes of brilliance early in their careers and have combined for eight wins from nine starts.
The pace will be good with Hot King Prawn and Premiere likely to establish the running. Regency Legend should get a good run from a one-out, one-back position and is a win and place chance to keep his record perfect.
This is his first test at group level but it is worth noting that he clocked a fast time winning a Class 3 in his Hong Kong debut on the same day, just 0.04 second slower than Mr Stunning did in winning the G1 Hong Kong Sprint.
Aethero is only a three-year-old and gets in with a light weight. He faces the big boys here and is a place chance if his inexperience does not interfere with his raw talent. Beat The Clock and the in-form Wishful Thinker are also place chances.
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