Few racing occasions in Hong Kong are as grand or as important as the BMW Hong Kong Derby and it is with a palpable sense of excitement that we look forward to next week’s Classic.
The blue riband race of Hong Kong has a history extending from 1873 and some of the finest names in our sport are on the Derby honour roll. In modern times, the champions include Ambitious Dragon, Viva Pataca, Rapper Dragon and, most recently, the contemporary star of Hong Kong racing, Golden Sixty.
Fittingly, the release of the latest LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings serves to underline just how vibrant and influential Hong Kong racing is.
Of the top 20-ranked horses, seven are trained in Hong Kong – including Golden Sixty, who has climbed to equal third with Exultant on a mark of 120 after two G1 wins this year, just two points behind Saudi Cup winner Mishriff (122).
The rankings have Golden Sixty and Exultant sharing status as the world’s top two horses in the 1301m-1899m category on turf.
The depth of Hong Kong’s established horse pool is borne out by the presence of Waikuku and Southern Legend, who have a figure of 118 in joint ninth place, while Furore and Ka Ying Star are in equal 12th place at 117.
Hot King Prawn, who contests the Lantau Island Handicap at Sha Tin tomorrow, is now officially regarded as the world’s second-ranked sprinter with a mark of 117 behind Australia’s Nature Strip (121), who is second overall.
Vincent Ho, Golden Sixty’s familiar ally, is currently leads the LONGINES World Best jockey rankings with 36 points ahead of Joao Moreira (34), Zac Purton (26) and Karis Teetan (22) – giving Hong Kong ownership of the top-four positions.
It is against this extremely positive backdrop that 14 horses will vie for ultimate honours in the HK$24 million Derby at Sha Tin on 21 March. As ever, it will be the pinnacle of the domestic season.
At Sha Tin this Saturday (13 March), the Class 1 Lantau Island Handicap over 1200 metres is the seventh race of the meeting and one of the more exciting races we will see this season. This is an interesting mix of emerging four-year-olds taking on the more established stars of the sprint division under handicap conditions.
Computer Patch (Neil Callan) and Voyage Warrior (Antoine Hamelin) will go forward to set a good pace with Winning Dreamer (Matthew Chadwick), Wellington (Alexis Badel) and Hot King Prawn (Joao Moreira) all in close contention. Hot King Prawn must concede a lot of weight due to his lofty 126 rating but it should be noted that this very same race was his lone win of last season, when he also carried 133 pounds. He is capable, is in top form and is a solid place chance.
Regency Legend (Zac Purton) is one of the many great stories in this race. He is second-up off a 13-month layoff and ran a huge race in his January return despite a post-race report of substantial blood in the trachea. This is the fourth time this has happened and he has two wins and his most recent second to show his toughness in the face of adversity. He is a win and place chance.
Winning Dreamer will be ridden by Chadwick for the first time due to the low weight and is perfect in four starts over the course and distance this season. He has been working very well after having had blood in his trachea and spending time in Conghua. He has come back refreshed and looks like a very nice horse and is a place chance along with Wellington. Both horses are out of the handicap but do not look out of place as they face a class test in the main event.
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