And so, after months of comprehensive planning and preparation, FWD Champions Day will take centre stage at Sha Tin on Sunday (28 April) when Hong Kong’s finest horses, jockeys and trainers face a formidable international challenge.
Hong Kong’s spring weather has proved challenging with heavy rainfall this week and I would recommend closely monitoring the weather and track conditions, which can have a major impact on the chances of some horses.
Horses such as GOLDEN SIXTY, CALIFORNIA SPANGLE, as well as most Japanese competitors, need good ground – with the exception of MAD COOL in the G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m), while BRAVE EMPEROR in the G1 FWD Champions Mile (1600m) and DUBAI HONOUR in the G1 FWD QEII Cup (2000m) would not mind softer track conditions.
While weather has dominated discussions over the past week, history potentially awaits Hong Kong’s equine hero GOLDEN SIXTY, who will chase a record-extending fourth victory in the G1 FWD Champions Mile, while ROMANTIC WARRIOR bids for an unprecedented third win in the G1 FWD QEII Cup.
Similarly, there is much interest in the G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize where Hong Kong’s CALIFORNIA SPANGLE and VICTOR THE WINNER are pitted against an intriguing field of established and emerging talents, including MAD COOL.
With nine individual Group 1 winners among the 33 runners, including Japan’s CHAMPAGNE COLOR and Great Britain’s DUBAI HONOUR, we are extremely grateful for the support of both our local Hong Kong owners and our friends from overseas.
GOLDEN SIXTY has proved himself repeatedly at the highest level and his return tomorrow in search of an 11th Group 1 victory – and his ninth Group 1 over the course and distance – has created tremendous interest as he attempts to create further history.
I would like to thank the Club’s tracks and facilities teams who have worked tirelessly in challenging circumstances this week to present the best possible conditions to all participants. Finally, I would like to wish all connections the very best of luck for tomorrow.
The first of the Champions Day features is the HK$22 million G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m), which is carded as Race 5 and run at 2.50pm.
The race should be run at a good tempo with VICTOR THE WINNER the likely leader for Derek Leung from his inside gate. CALIFORNIA SPANGLE will go forward from a middle draw, with INVINCIBLE SAGE also in the leading pack.
Tony Cruz has reinvigorated CALIFORNIA SPANGLE as a world-class sprinter after being in the elite bracket of milers for the last two years. He was dominant winning the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m) on 10 March. At his next start, Brenton Advdulla rode CALIFORNIA SPANGLE to victory in the G1 Al Quoz Sprint (1200m) on 30 March. In winning, CALIFORNIA SPANGLE smashed the course record.
Coming back from Dubai, it is not easy to produce the same form but, on a good track, he would still be my first choice as a win and place selection.
VICTOR THE WINNER recorded his first Group 1 victory in the Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m) on 28 January, beating LUCKY WITH YOU. VICTOR THE WINNER ran bravely in Japan last start, finishing third to MAD COOL in the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen (1200m) at Chukyo on 24 March. VICTOR THE WINNER loves to lead and has drawn ideally in gate two and is a place chance.
MAD COOL is Japan’s highest-rated sprinter and defeated VICTOR THE WINNER at Chukyo on a yielding track, staying on the rails and had three lengths to spare at the line. MAD COOL was unplaced behind LUCKY SWEYNESSE in the LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) in December but is still relatively lightly-raced having won six of 12 race starts and is a place chance for Ryusei Sakai.
BELIEVING won three of seven races as a three-year-old last year and took on all-comers when third to REGIONAL in the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup in September, beaten less than a length. She has been working impressively this week, has a perfect draw for Harry Bentley and if she handles the race day atmosphere at Sha Tin, BELIEVING is a place chance at attractive odds.
This is a high-class field and it will be interesting to see how emerging talents like INVINCIBLE SAGE and HOWDEEPISYOURLOVE, who contest a Group 1 race for the first time, perform.
The HK$22 million G1 FWD Champions Mile (1600m) is carded as Race 7 and run at 4pm and features the return of GOLDEN SIXTY, racing’s highest-ever prizemoney earner. GOLDEN SIXTY was the highest-rated older miler in the world in 2023 with a career-high rating of 126, the fourth consecutive year Francis Lui’s champion had achieved a rating of 124 of higher, remarkable proof of his quality and the training skills of Francis that has led to his remarkable consistency and longevity.
The pace is expected to be good to slow with no natural leader in the race. James McDonald will have VOYAGE BUBBLE handy to the pace from his middle draw and BRAVE EMPEROR is also likely to go forward from gate nine. RED LION and BEAUTY ETERNAL should also be in the leading group.
GOLDEN SIXTY has won this race for the past three years. At his most recent run, he produced an astonishing burst of speed to sprint away at the 400m leaving his rivals in his wake in the LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m) on 10 December. GOLDEN SIXTY impressed in a barrier trial last week and returns to racing with his trusted partner Vincent Ho. He is my win and place selection.
VOYAGE BUBBLE looked the heir apparent to GOLDEN SIXTY when winning the G1 Stewards’ Cup, beating Beauty Eternal and Beauty Joy in January. VOYAGE BUBBLE then pushed ROMANTIC WARRIOR to the limit in the Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m). At his latest run, VOYAGE BUBBLE ran well below his best in the Dubai Turf over 1800m on 30 March. While Voyage Bubble didn’t have a hard race in Dubai, he took time to overcome the trip back to Hong Kong. He has drawn well and is a place chance for James McDonald.
BRAVE EMPEROR has won races in five different countries for Archie Watson since the start of 2023 and most recently beat CAIRO and REAL WORLD over 1600m in Doha on 17 February. Luke Morris has been aboard through all of those wins and if he can get into a good position, BRAVE EMPEROR is a place chance.
This a world-class field and Japan has strong representation through ELTON BARROWS, CHAMPAGNE COLOR and OBAMBURUMAI. There is also a number of chances among the locals including BEAUTY ETERNAL and BEAUTY JOY.
One of the most interesting aspects of the race will be to see how rising star GALAXY PATCH performs, having been runner-up to CALIFORNIA SPANGLE in the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup before fighting bravely to the line when second to MASSIVE SOVEREIGN in a fast-run BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) on 24 March. GALAXY PATCH can be one of the main threats to GOLDEN SIXTY if he has overcome the BMW Hong Kong Derby effort, which was tremendous.
GALAXY PATCH is an exciting talent and has an ability to run fast last 400m sectional times and, back to the mile, is the X-factor in the race with Blake Shinn riding.
The HK$28 million G1 QEII Cup (2000m) is carded as Race 8 and run at 4.40pm.
The pace in the race will be good. SWORD POINT will take up the pace for Derek Leung, NORTH BRIDGE has drawn gate three and likes to race on the speed and HAPPY TOGETHER (Alexis Badel) should hold a forward position. Andrea Atzeni will have to decide whether he goes forward on NIMBLE NIMBUS from the outside gate if he can’t find a spot in the field, one off the fence.
ROMANTIC WARRIOR has won this race for the past two years. He has drawn awkwardly in barrier ten, but has good gate speed and James McDonald should be able to use that to his advantage to settle in a good spot in the front half of the field.
Last year, ROMANTIC WARRIOR defeated PROGNOSIS and DUBAI HONOUR who both challenge him again. ROMANTIC WARRIOR won the W. S. Cox Plate (2040m) in Australia in October, fought hard to win the LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m) in December and at his last start beat VOYAGE BUBBLE in the Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) on 25 February. I believe ROMANTIC WARRIOR is in even better form than when he won the LONGINES Hong Kong Cup and he is my win and place selection.
PROGNOSIS was second in this race last year and returned to Hong Kong in December when he didn’t have a lot of luck when fifth to ROMANTIC WARRIOR. PROGNOSIS easily beat a quality field in the Group 2 Kinko Sho (2000m) at his first run for the year on 10 March. PROGNOSIS seems to be in better form than in December, when he was held up at the 250m and finished strongly. He has been working very well since arriving and is a real threat, for Yuga Kawada.
DUBAI HONOUR ran third in this race last year after successfully campaigning in Australia. He comes into this race off an easy victory in the Magnolia Stakes at Kempton on 1 April at his first run for the year. DUBAI HONOUR will be ridden by Tom Marquand and, on a good to yielding track, he is the main danger to ROMANTIC WARRIOR and is a place chance.
One of the race highlights is the appearance of BMW Hong Kong Derby winner MASSIVE SOVEREIGN taking on world-class opposition. MASSIVE SOVEREIGN has been incredibly impressive in his two wins in Hong Kong and ran home strongly to beat GALAXY PATCH in the Derby, a race that was run at a strong tempo setting a new race record, breaking two minutes over 2000m.
MASSIVE SOVEREIGN trialled impressively at Happy Valley last week and, as the reigning Derby winner, should not be underestimated and is a place chance for Zac Purton.
STRAIGHT ARRON ran well when sixth in the Dubai Turf and is a place chance, as is HISHI IGUAZU who has run twice before in Hong Kong, runner-up to LOVES ONLY YOU in the 2021 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup and was a close third in the same race behind ROMANTIC WARRIOR last December.
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