Tonight’s (Wednesday, 7 February) Happy Valley fixture marks the halfway point of an already extraordinary season and presents the ideal juncture to reflect on what has unfolded so far and to contemplate what is still to materialise.
The clear highlight of the 43 completed meetings to date was LONGINES Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) in December, when Hong Kong staged one of the finest race meetings in its history with an attendance of more than 65,000 witnessing the herculean feats of GOLDEN SIXTY, ROMANTIC WARRIOR, LUCKY SWEYNESSE and JUNKO.
Those fortunate enough to be on-course at Sha Tin will never forget the supreme displays of these amazing equine stars, particularly GOLDEN SIXTY’s LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m) victory which drew an incredible response from the crowd, illustrating Hong Kong’s emotional attachment to the city’s equine hero.
The exceptional athletic performances at HKIR, coupled with a fantastic atmosphere, served as a reminder of the important role horse racing plays in regularly delivering elite international sporting events to Hong Kong and presenting this amazing city in a positive light on the global stage.
Achieving such memorable heights is not possible without the support of local and international connections, our passionate fans and the Club’s outstanding work force, all of whom combined to make HKIR such a resounding success.
It is important from this perspective that horse racing’s excellence in staging truly international events should be regarded more from a sporting standpoint because, at every opportunity, Hong Kong horse racing constantly strives to excel through world-class performance.
Notwithstanding the enormous success of HKIR, the Club’s goal is to continually improve and build on what has already been accomplished. This is not an easy task, but it is not something we will shirk as the second half of the season looms.
Horse quality is integral to Hong Kong’s standing as a world racing leader and we were delighted to have 14 horses featuring as elite performers in 2023, with GOLDEN SIXTY, LUCKY SWEYNESSE, ROMANTIC WARRIOR and CALIFORNIA SPANGLE all ranked inside the top 15 in the LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings.
By its nature, horse racing is in a state of constant evolution and, as we celebrate our champions, it is also fascinating to monitor the progress of emerging talent.
HELIOS EXPRESS ran to expectations with a convincing win in the Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) at Sha Tin on Sunday (4 February) and, with five wins from seven Hong Kong starts, he has made an impressive advance under John Size.
HELIOS EXPRESS looks to have all the attributes of an exceptional miler and it will be interesting to see how he copes with the extra 200m of the Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) on 3 March. While he was dominant at the weekend, there were several encouraging performances behind him, including those of runner-up HELENE FEELING, STAR MAC – who recorded the race’s fastest closing sectional of 23.17s in finishing third – and SPEED DRAGON, who was twice disappointed for clear running over the final 400m.
The road to the BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) is not always conventional as we have seen previously with LUGER, COLLECTION and SUPER SATIN and history shows that some horses can emerge swiftly as Classic contenders.
Last Sunday, ILLUMINOUS, who was making his Hong Kong debut for Frankie Lor, and Pierre Ng’s KA YING GENERATION both won Class 3 races. Both horses have been entered for the BMW Hong Kong Derby on 24 March and their progress from here will be interesting.
At Happy Valley tonight, the second section of the Class 3 Victoria Park Handicap (1200m) is carded as race 9 at 10.50pm and carries HK$1,860,000 in prize money. The pace should be good with BEAUTY GLORY the likely leader from his middle gate. SING DRAGON has shown pace in his trials and will be prominent from his inside draw, with GOLDEN TITLE, another newcomer, also in the leading division.
RAGING BLIZZARD has drawn the outside gate and it will be interesting to see where Zac Purton is able to have him in running. RAGING BLIZZARD was a narrow, but impressive winner over GORGEOUS WIN at Sha Tin two starts ago. That form looks very strong with GORGEOUS WIN an easy winner at his next start.
At his latest run, RAGING BLIZZARD settled on the speed from an inside gate and was narrowly beaten by WATCH BUDDY here on 17 January. That was his first run at Happy Valley and, despite drawing widest, RAGING BLIZZARD is my win and place chance.
SING DRAGON is making his debut run in Hong Kong but has looked good in three trials. He trialled here on 20 January when he went to the front and hit the line with something in hand. SING DRAGON should get a good run for Lyle Hewitson from gate two and is a place chance.
BON’S A PEARLA produce a storming finish down the middle of the course to beat BEAUTY WAVES and SUPERB CAPITALIST over the course and distance two starts ago. She then didn’t have a lot of room in the straight when never a threat in the race won by WATCH BUDDY. If Alexis Badel can get her to the outside off a good tempo, BON’S A PEARLA is capable of finishing strongly and is a place chance.
HEROIC MASTER has been consistent this season finishing in the top four at his six starts, all over 1000m. HEROIC MASTER was sent to Conghua following his last start second to HAPPY UNITED on 17 January and while he extends out in distance to 1200m for the first time this season, is a place chance.
SUGAR SUGAR and BEAUTY GLORY are racing well and also have claims in a competitive race to finish the meeting.
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