After months of meticulous planning and unstinting discipline in the face of the pandemic, Sha Tin will reverberate to the sights and sounds of world-class racing on Sunday for the 2021 staging of FWD Champions Day.
By any measure, the meeting is one of the premier fixtures on the global racing calendar with HK$63 million in prizemoney spread across three G1 contests over 1200m, 1600m and 2000m.
Storylines abound in each. Can Danon Smash again prove he is worthy of comparison with his sire and former champion Lord Kanaloa with a third consecutive G1 as he bids for glory in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize against the best Hong Kong currently has to offer?
Will Golden Sixty notch a 14th victory in a row to move within striking distance of Silent Witness’ Hong Kong record of 17 successive wins by prevailing against a small, select group to collect a fourth G1 in the FWD Champions Mile?
And can Daring Tact claim her first international G1 with success in FWD QEII Cup against elite Japanese opposition led by Loves Only You, Kiseki and Glory Vase, the LONGINES Hong Kong Vase winner from 2019, as well as Exultant, who is attempting to win the QEII Cup for a second time, Glorious Dragon and Time Warp?
Whatever the outcome, this is a time for celebration and pride for Hong Kong. The city has again demonstrated tremendous resilience and, for an afternoon at least on Sunday, we deserve to revel in what the Champions Day meeting has offer.
While we will not be able to host a substantial number of Hong Kong racing devotees on-course, we still expect about 800,000 customers to engage with us through Off Course Betting Branches and via digital wagering as well as a maximum of 7500 attendees combined at Sha Tin and Happy Valley (cross-bet).
The meeting will feature internationally on 65 television networks across 97 countries and regions, while coverage on Japan’s Green Channel alone is expected to be watched by up to two million racing enthusiasts.
The one certainty in these uncertain times is that the eyes of the world will rest upon Sha Tin on Sunday after where the Chairman’s Sprint Prize over 1200 metres is the first of the three Group 1 races on FWD Champions Day. The three major races will be run as the fifth, seventh and eighth races.
Danon Smash is the lone overseas runner in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize and comes in from Japan with a rising profile among the world’s top sprinters. He will bid for a third consecutive Group 1 victory, having won the Hong Kong Sprint in December and the Takamatsunomiya Kinen in March.
When winning the Hong Kong Sprint in December, Danon Smash overcame gate 14 under a clever ride from Ryan Moore when he darted toward the inside and received a smooth midfield run to win at odds of 21-1. This time he has drawn gate 5, gets Joao Moreira and will start as the 2.5 favourite or thereabouts. Interestingly, gate 5 is the most successful barrier in the history of this race having accounted for five wins including Beat The Clock two years ago. Takayuki Yasuda, champion Japanese trainer in 2019 and with 18 Group 1 wins to his name, compared Danon Smash to his sire Lord Kanaloa when talking to media on Thursday, saying his horse has improved considerably in recent months. Yasuda won the Hong Kong Sprint with Lord Kanaloa in 2021 and 2013 and hopes to bring Danon Smash back for a chance to repeat this December. I make him a win and place chance to win the Chairman’s Sprint. He will make his run from midfield behind a good pace set by Computer Patch (Matthew Chadwick) and Voyage Warrior (Ruan Maia).
Wellington (Alexis Badel) will settle about midfield from his good draw and has flashed his ability, including a big win in fast time two months ago over the course and distance. He is a place chance along with Stronger (Vincent Ho) and Beauty Applause (Zac Purton). Stronger, a four-year-old colt, is in career-best form and closed off strongly to just miss in the Group 2 Sprint Cup three weeks ago whilst Beauty Applause will get every chance from the box seat.
Amazing Star, Beauty Applause and Stronger were all supplemented to the Chairman’s Sprint at a cost of $180,000 each.
All eyes will be on Golden Sixty in the FWD Champions Mile as he seeks a 14th consecutive win and a fourth straight G 1. The pace will be slow with Ka Ying Star (Zac Purton) trying to get away with soft sectionals. Southern Legend (Karis Teetan), Healthy Happy (Alexis Badel) and Mighty Giant (Antoine Hamelin) in close attendance. This race will likely turn into a sprint and jockey Vincent Ho will bring Golden Sixty to the outside turning into the straight and ask for a big closing kick. I make Golden Sixty a strong win and place chance.
Ka Ying Star is very capable over this trip but has not enjoyed an ideal prep after being scratched from the Chairman’s Trophy three weeks ago due to a lameness issue in his right front leg. He is a place chance along with More Than This (Joao Moreira) which will be finishing the race off well.
The FWD QEII Cup features top level competition from Japan along with last year’s winner and reigning Horse of the Year, Exultant. Time Warp will do his thing and go forward to make the running under Joao Moreira and set an honest pace. Exultant will sit comfortably in second with Zac Purton likely to push the button around the final turn to increase the tempo. This will be a fascinating race.
Kiseki (Chad Schofield) is a versatile type that can go forward or come from the back but he tends to be more forward in longer races. He is likely to be slightly better than midfield and looks like the wild card in the field with regard to the map.
Daring Tact (Kohei Matsuyama) is making her first appearance outside of Japan and has won at top level over distances ranging from a mile to 2400 metres. Her first-ever defeat was a third to Almond Eye in the Japan Cup and she was then beaten a second time as a short-priced favourite in the Group 2 Kinko Sho over a rain affected track. She is a classy filly, has adapted well to her new surroundings and I expect her to regain her winning ways as a win and place chance coming from the back.
Loves Only You (Vincent Ho) has an excellent record when racing right-handed and her form this year has been outstanding. She won the Group 2 Kyoto Kinen in February and then finished a solid third in the Dubai Sheema Classic last month. She is very fit and it was interesting to learn from her trainer Yoshito Yahagi that be believes her best trip is 2000 to 2200 metres. She is a place chance from midfield.
Exultant is the top chance for Hong Kong and you have to admire his class, consistency and durability. He has finished in the top three in all of his last 18 starts which is an incredible feat when considering the top-class competition that he encounters. He is a place chance.
Glory Vase (Karis Teetan) ran the best race of his career when winning the 2019 Longines Hong Kong Vase and may be a horse for the course. He has been lightly raced since and is also a place chance.
The field sizes in the FWD Champions Mile and FWD QEII Cup are small but it is comforting to see a number of lightly-raced younger horses on the undercard with the potential to participate in the upper tier of races next season. Horses to keep an eye on include 3-year-olds Fantastic Way, Trader and Gallant Express. The most exciting newcomer of the season is the undefeated 3-year-old Courier Wonder, which runs for a High Achievement Bonus in the Class 2 finale as a deserving favourite.
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