The 2023/24 racing season has already been filled with elite achievements by Hong Kong horses, jockeys and trainers and the theme is set to continue with several participants on the brink of reaching significant milestones.
In a season where ROMANTIC WARRIOR and CALIFORNIA SPANGLE have excelled both overseas and at home, Hong Kong racing has also celebrated the milestone feats of our leading jockeys and trainers, including Zac Purton (1,700 wins), John Size (1,500), Tony Cruz (1,500), Caspar Fownes (1,100) and Francis Lui (900).
Ricky Yiu (999 wins) and David Hayes (599) – both winners of the Hong Kong trainers championship – need only one more victory each at Sha Tin today to continue the 2023/24 trend, while Zac needs four more wins to reach 100 wins in a season for the eighth successive season, which highlights the six-time Hong Kong champion’s amazing consistency.
The quality of our jockey and trainer cohort is integral to maintaining the world class standard of Hong Kong racing and its global and local appeal. I congratulate those who have already reached important milestones and wish all those on the cusp of benchmark success the very best.
At Sha Tin today, the feature race is the G3 Queen Mother Memorial Cup Handicap, which is carded as Race 8 at 4.05pm and run over 2400m for prizemoney of HK$4.2 million.
Sha Tin has again received a significant amount of rain this week with 196mm in total, including 100mm across the past two days. The track is currently rated Good to Yielding but any further rain today could lead to a downgrade to a Yielding track.
The speed in the race will be good with Andrea Atzeni taking KA YING GENERATION forward from the widest gate to lead. MONEY CATCHER is drawn well in gate two and will stalk the speed for Matthew Poon and MOMENTS IN TIME should also race in the leading group.
This race is an intriguing battle between established stayers led by RUSSIAN EMPEROR and SENOR TOBA, who won this race in 2022, challenged by emerging four-year-olds KA YING GENERATION, MOMENTS IN TIME and UNBELIEVABLE.
RUSSIAN EMPEROR has won the G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup over this distance for the past two years and is heading to that race again in three weeks. RUSSIAN EMPEROR was fifth in the H.H. Amir Trophy in Qatar in February when he was not suited by a slow pace. At his return run, he was always well back behind BEAUTY JOY over 1600m on 7 April. While RUSSIAN EMPEROR likes the tracks on the yielding side, he seems not fully fit with increased body weight and I would be surprised if he would be placed especially having to give significant weight to all his rivals.
KA YING GENERATION ran bravely in the BMW Hong Kong Derby when he was sent to the front and set a strong pace throughout, kicking clear before the turn and straightening with a big lead. KA YING GENERATION was eventually run down by MASSIVE SOVEREIGN and GALAXY PATCH to finish third. KA YING GENERATION was placed over 2400m in Ireland and his overseas form suggests he should be able to handle a yielding track or even softer. He is a win and place chance.
FIVE G PATCH is consistent over extended distances and finished fifth in this race last year before an excellent third in the Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup to RUSSIAN EMPEROR at set weights. FIVE G PATCH is on the quick back up after running home late to take sixth in the G1 FWD QEII Cup behind ROMANTIC WARRIOR last Sunday. He also has overseas form which suggests yielding or soft conditions will suit. Harry Bentley takes the ride and FIVE G PATCH is a place chance.
This is a competitive contest. Despite being out of the handicap, NATURAL STORM (Antoine Hamelin) is a genuine stayer who was closing strongly in this race last year when third to STRAIGHT ARRON. NATURAL STORM ran home well at his last run over 1800m behind C P BRAVE and is a place chance for Antoine Hamelin.
MOMENTS IN TIME (Angus Chung) is a Group 1 winner in Chile and steps out in distance after racing on the pace and winning his last two starts and has claims. He should have no issue stepping up in distance but is unproven on soft surfaces. SENOR TOBA (Vincent Ho) won the race two years ago, and UNBELIEVABLE (Derek Leung) ran fifth in the Hong Kong Derby and was then second over 2000m at his next run. He also has some form on good to yielding ground.
The G1 2000 Guineas was the highlight of the World Pool meeting overnight at Newmarket and was won in brilliant fashion by NOTABLE SPEECH for Charlie Appleby and William Buick. By DUBAWI, NOTABLE SPEECH was having his first race on turf and is now unbeaten in four runs. The disappointment of the race was the performance of previously unbeaten CITY OF TROY, who finished a distant ninth for Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore after racing on the pace. Aidan could not offer an explanation immediately after the race and suggested veterinary examinations over coming days might provide some insight into the performance.
Our focus returns to Newmarket tonight for the G1 1000 Guineas (1609m), which is carded as S2-1 and will be run at 10:40pm.
The pace should be good with French filly RAMATUELLE the likely leader and a number of other fillies such as SEE THE FIRE and REGAL JUBILEE looking to settle close to the front.
FALLEN ANGEL finished her two-year-old season with an impressive win in the Group 1 Moyglare Stakes at the Curragh last September. In that race, FALLEN ANGEL sat outside the leader YLANG YLANG before Daniel Tudhope asked her for an effort at the 400m mark, taking the lead at the 200m. FALLEN ANGEL was challenged strongly by VESPERTILIO but eventually drew away to win well. This is FALLEN ANGEL’s seasonal reappearance but she looks a class filly and is a win and place chance.
In the Moyglare, YLANG YLANG led and faded to last behind FALLEN ANGEL. Aidan O’Brien ran her again in the Group 1 Fillies Mile on Champions Day at Ascot in October when she was held up behind a good speed set by her stable mate BRILLIANT. YLANG YLANG was inconvenienced at the 200m when making her run but was still good enough to beat SHUWARI in the run to the line. Ryan Moore will look to give YLANG YLANG cover again and she is a place chance.
William Buick takes the ride on DANCE SEQUENCE, one of two fillies prepared by Charlie Appleby. DANCE SEQUENCE won both her starts last year and resumed with a second to PRETTY CRYSTAL in the Nell Gwynne Stakes (1400m) on 17 April when she was a beaten favourite. DANCE SEQUENCE can improve further on that run and is a place chance.
Charlie Appleby’s other runner CINDERELLA’S DREAM is unbeaten in four runs and was very impressive at Listed level in the UAE 1000 Guineas when ridden by William Buick, who lost his irons before the home turn and yet the filly was still able to win by a big margin. Mickael Barzalona takes the ride here and CINDERELLA’S DREAM is a place chance.
This is an open race and other chances include PRETTY CRYSTAL and SEE THE FIRE, to be ridden by Oisin Murphy, who won the race last year on MAWJ.
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