As 2022 draws to a rapid close, Hong Kong racing has much to reflect proudly on over the past year, including an incredible edition of the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races (HKIR), but a cursory glance at next January’s calendar reveals how much more there is to look forward to in the New Year.
The G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m) on 29 January shapes potentially as a blockbuster clash between Hong Kong’s three-highest rated horses – Golden Sixty (130), Romantic Warrior (130) and California Spangle (129) – and, with the exposure generated around all three of our champions during LONGINES HKIR on 11 December, this shapes as a race which will attract global interest in Hong Kong racing.
With that in mind, I wish connections the very best of health and luck with these three remarkable equine athletes and also to those who challenge them.
Fortuitously, the same meeting on 29 January features the running of the Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) and the start of the HK$48 million Four-Year-Old Classic Series – a lucrative three-race series which marked the rise of Golden Sixty in 2020 and Romantic Warrior and California Spangle in 2022.
Acknowledging that much can change quickly in racing, there is an intriguing mix of Southern Hemisphere four-year-olds and Northern Hemisphere three-year-olds (who turn four on 1 January) currently in the mix for the 2023 Four-Year-Old Series.
Excluding the exciting sprinters Lucky Sweynesse (119) and Cordyceps Six (112) at the top of the generation eligible for the Four-Year-Old Series, Keefy (100), Beautyverse (88), Sweet Encounter (84), Galaxy Witness (82) and Bon’s A Pearla (80), among several others, have shown potential.
Given the spectacular emergence of Romantic Warrior from unraced Hong Kong International Sale Graduate in October, 2021 to Hong Kong Classic Mile and BMW Hong Kong Derby winner in March, 2022 under Danny Shum and Karis Teetan in last year’s series, hope burns brightly for several so far unheralded runners.
With that in mind, there will be plenty of interest in the emerging Four-Year-Old Classic Series contenders, starting at Happy Valley on Wednesday night when the second section of the Saturn Handicap for Class 3 horses over 1200m is carded as Race 9 at 10:50pm. Excellent Peers will take the lead in the DBS x Manulife Million Challenge if he can win the race.
The pace will be strong from the outset with Super Fortune going forward from an outside gate to try and find the lead, while Nordic Dragon and Smokey Bear will also look to race on the speed.
The fast tempo should allow Hugh Bowman, who takes the ride on Excellent Peers, to take up a position from gate seven just behind the leaders and off the fence. Excellent Peers has finished top two at his last seven starts all over this course and distance and despite his rise in weight is a place chance again.
Danny Shum has indicated Nordic Dragon could be set for the Four-Year-Old Classic Series and the Hong Kong International Sale graduate could not have been any more impressive than when winning on debut here on 23 November. In that race he led and was challenged prior to the home turn before coming away in the straight to win by an extended margin. He has to improve on his last run and meets very strong opposition tonight but he strikes me as a horse with great potential, and despite the rise in class here, he is a win and place chance with Vincent Ho aboard.
Super Fortune is having his first start under race conditions at Happy Valley but he looked good in winning a trial here on 26 November. Karis Teetan will drive him forward to lead and Super Fortune is a place chance despite his wide gate.
Winning Icey is a three-time winner at the course and distance and showed he was holding form when second to Fiery Diamond on the AWT on 27 November. He comes back to his favourite course here and has drawn well in gate five for Luke Ferraris and is a place chance.
Scotch Tycoon can improve sharply on his first up sixth at Sha Tin on 20 November behind Victor The Winner. That was his first run for more than six months and he did not have a lot of luck in the straight. From gate four, Scotch Tycoon is a place chance for Lyle Hewitson.
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