Today at Sha Tin, we are privileged to have Golden Sixty and Romantic Warrior – who are both among the highest-ranked horses in the world – squaring again off in the G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup over 2000m in the second leg of Hong Kong’s Triple Crown Series, which culminates in the G1 Standard Chartered Champion & Chater Cup (2400m) on 28 May.
Now seven, Golden Sixty showed he is racing as well as ever with a brilliant G1 Stewards’ Cup win last month. The rapturous and instant response of the crowd that day when Hong Kong’s Covid hero stormed past California Spangle and Romantic Warrior demonstrated how much Francis Lui’s gelding means to Hong Kong.
With two Group 1 victories already and unbeaten at 2000m with four wins from four starts over the distance, Romantic Warrior is seen as a potential successor to Golden Sixty, making today’s encounter even more fascinating – and possibly a defining race of the season.
We will also have another chance today to further gauge the form of this season’s Classic generation in the Hong Kong Classic Cup over 1800m. With the BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) only three weeks away, the second leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series will be instructive – along with an undercard which also features Beauty Eternal contesting a Class 2 race over 1600m.
At Randwick Racecourse in Sydney yesterday, James McDonald partnered Anamoe to his eighth Group 1 victory in the Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m), which was part of our Simulcast programme, confirming the four-year-old’s status as a champion of Australian racing.
Riding in superb form, James returns to Sha Tin today for our showpiece meeting and he will be keen to continue his good strike rate in Hong Kong, having enjoyed ridden winners at three of his past four meetings here.
Blake Shinn also returns to Hong Kong in peak form after winning the G1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) on Alligator Blood, while Jamie Kah rode Pericles to victory in the G2 Caulfield Autumn Classic (1800m) ahead of her reunion today with Voyage Bubble in the Hong Kong Classic Cup.
At King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh overnight, Panthalassa capped a glorious meeting for Japan with victory in the US$20 million Saudi Cup, which was part of our World Pool programme. Trained by Yoshito Yahagi and ridden by Yutaka Yoshida, Panthalassa gave Japan its third winner on the night after the earlier successes of Bathrat Leon and Silver Sonic.
Japanese runners finished first, third, fourth and fifth in the Saudi Cup – the world’s richest race – while Frankie Dettori-ridden Country Grammer was runner-up for the second year in a row.
Sha Tin takes centre stage today when the Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup is the first of two brilliant feature races and is carded as Race 7 at 4:05pm for prizemoney of HK$12,000,000 over 2000m.
The Gold Cup shapes as a magnificent match race between two of the greats of Hong Kong racing in Golden Sixty and Romantic Warrior.
Golden Sixty was superb when he raced closer to the lead than usual and ran past California Spangle in the straight easily holding off Romantic Warrior in the Stewards’ Cup over 1600m on 29 January. He has won the BMW Hong Kong Derby and this race in 2021 over 2000m from three starts at the distance and Golden Sixty will be very hard to beat again.
Romantic Warrior was dominant in the LONGINES Hong Kong Cup beating a world class field by an extended margin. He chased hard in the straight when second to Golden Sixty at his run since over 1600m. Romantic Warrior comes back to the 2000m here and I make him my win and place selection.
The pace should be good with Money Catcher the leader from his rails draw and Ka Ying Star going forward from his draw. Tourbillon Diamond went back from an outside gate in the Hong Kong Cup and ran home to finish fourth to Romantic Warrior. He can be closer to the speed today in the small field and I make him a place chance.
The Hong Kong Classic Cup is the second leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series and is carded as Race 9 at 5:15pm over 1800m for prizemoney of HK$12,000,000.
The pace should be good with Voyage Bubble the leader from his favourable draw, with Keefy and Majestic Colour racing handy from their inside draw and Encountered going forward from gate nine to be in the leading division.
Voyage Bubble won the first leg of the series under a superb front-running ride by Jamie Kah. He should get an uninterrupted lead again here, and despite extending to the 1800m, I make him a place chance.
Apart from the extra trip, Voyage Bubble also faces a new challenger in Super Sunny Sing who has been devastating winning his last three starts. He was suited by the strong pace when sprinting brilliantly in the straight for Vincent Ho to win easily over 1600m on 24 January. This is a step up in class but Super Sunny Sing has looked very impressive and he is a win and place chance.
Tuchel will be further improved from his last start when he had a rails run and came off Voyage Bubble’s back in the straight but couldn’t run the leader down in the Hong Kong Classic Mile. Zac Purton should be able to have Tuchel handy again from his rails draw and he is a place chance.
Sword Point, who will be ridden by Hugh Bowman, is another with a place chance. He is winner over this course and distance and he also finished third in a Group 2 over 1850m in Newcastle in New South Wales in March last year.
Galaxy Witness hasn’t won at six starts this season but is racing well and made ground from the back when fifth to Voyage Bubble. Blake Shinn takes the ride and he is a place chance in a field of quality four-year-olds where a number of other runners have winning claims.
Furthermore in race 3, Beauty Eternal who was most impressive in his last win in Class 3 over 1400m tries to stake his claim for inclusion in the BMW Hong Kong Derby field. Zac Purton is on board in the Class 2 Citigold Handicap over 1600m against proven Class 2 winners.
In my view, he is a very exciting horse and should show his class to win this race.
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