After an eventful week with the disruption caused by Super Typhoon Yagi, the scene is now set for the opening of the 2024/25 Hong Kong racing season at Sha Tin tomorrow (Sunday, 8 September) with the running of the Class 1 HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup Handicap (1200m).
The start of a new season is always an exciting time, filled with optimism and expectation over what might unfold across 88 world-class meetings. It is remarkable to think that almost eight weeks have passed since the end of a truly spectacular 2023/24 season and that epic final-day battle for the Hong Kong trainers’ championship between Francis Lui and Pierre Ng.
I cannot think of a more dramatic ending to a season as the destiny of the championship ebbed and flowed during an amazing twilight meeting with Francis coming from three wins behind mid-meeting to win four of the final five races of the season and clinch the title – 70 to 69 – over Pierre, who had led the title race since January.
With Francis and Pierre filling the top two positions in the championship – with fellow Hong Kong-born trainers Ricky Yiu (60), Tony Cruz (55) and Danny Shum (51) next in the standings – last season’s trainers’ table reflected the high quality and expertise of our homegrown talent.
It will be fascinating to watch the early stages of the new campaign unfold and Pierre has made clear his ambitions to start the 2024/25 season strongly with many of his horses showing good form in the trials.
The same will be true for many other of our world-class trainers, who are joined this season by newcomer David Eustace.
I wish all our handlers the very best of luck, along with our extremely talented jockey roster with Zac Purton looking to add an eighth championship as he competes against outstanding riders such as Hugh Bowman, Vincent Ho, Karis Teetan, Andrea Atzeni and many others as we welcome apprentice Britney Wong for her first season in Hong Kong.
The opening of the season is one of the most auspicious occasions on the Hong Kong racing season and I look forward to participating in the eye-dotting of the ceremonial lion at the opening ceremony along with the HKSAR Chief Executive Mr John Lee, Club chairman Mr Michael Lee and members of the Club Board of Stewards.
I hope our fans will join us for a wonderful day’s racing before enjoying the live performance of Edan Lui @ MIRROR in the Parade Ring after Race 10 to celebrate the new racing season.
The HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup is carded as Race 3 and will be run over 1200m at 1.50pm for prizemoney of HK$3,720,000. With more than 125mm of rain falling until mid-afternoon on Saturday, it would be prudent to closely monitor the track condition on race-day.
The pace should be good with HARMONY ‘N’ BLESSED going forward from his outside draw to challenge for the lead. PACKING TREADMILL has also drawn out and Lyle Hewitson will look to have him near the front on settling. SUPERB CAPITALIST should be prominent for Angus Chung from his and he may have enough early pace to hold the front. BABY CRYSTAL also has good gate speed and will be in the leading division but could be caught wide.
KA YING RISING is the rising star in Hong Kong’s sprint ranks and finished last season in brilliant fashion winning the G3 Sha Tin Vase over this course and distance on 2 June, beating FLYING ACE.
KA YING RISING is a four-year-old with huge potential and is able to run the last 400m in 21.96 seconds on good to fast ground which very few horses can do, he trialled well last Saturday and he is my first choice for win and place despite the weight of 135 pounds he has to carry under Zac Purton.
FLYING ACE made the transition to Group 1 racing finishing fifth in the Centenary Sprint Cup and fourth in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize in April. FLYING ACE was second to KA YING RISING in the Sha Tin Vase in June, beaten just over a length. He meets KA YING RISING on 6lbs better weight terms and is a place chance under Hugh Bowman from an ideal drawn in gate three.
BEAUTY WAVES won over this course and distance in very fast time at the last meeting of last season and he was impressive winning a recent trial. BEAUTY WAVES is an exciting four-year-old son of Starspanglebanner whose progeny is a great success in Hong Kong with California Spangle his international flagship horse. BEAUTY WAVES in my view the strongest opponent of KA YING RISING and has to carry 20 pounds less, which is a significant advantage for him under Alexis Badel and from an inside draw.
PACKING TREADMILL, like LUCKY WITH YOU, has also won first-up over the past three seasons and will run well despite his awkward draw. SUPERB CAPITALIST and MAJESTIC KNIGHT both scored multiple wins last season and ran on well in the same trial recently and will run well first-up.
LUCKY WITH YOU needs firm going to show his best and his form has dipped after his second place in the LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint. Furthermore, his trackwork after the long break is still average and he needs a little more time to hit his best form.
On Sunday night, the Group 1 Prix du Moulin is run over 1600m at ParisLongchamp at 9.50pm and is carded as S1-1.
The pace will be good to moderate with TRIBALIST likely to lead, with CARAMELITO also close to the front. HENRY LONGFELLOW should settle behind the leading pair.
NOTABLE SPEECH carried his winning streak into the English 2000 Guineas in May when he impressed beating ROSALLION. He then suffered his first career defeat when racing keenly early and fading to be unplaced behind ROSALLION in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
NOTABLE SPEECH bounced back to his brilliant best when easily winning the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood where he beat older horses, with MALJOOM runner up and FACTEUR CHEVAL in third place. NOTABLE SPEECH looks an exceptional talent and is my win and place selection for William Buick and Charlie Appleby.
Roger Varian has transformed CHARYN into a world-class miler as a four-year-old with wins in the G1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot G1 Prix Jacques le Marois, beating METROPOLITAN and INSPIRAL by a big margin. CHARYN also has win and place claims under Silvestre de Sousa.
Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore combine with HENRY LONGFELLOW, who was runner-up to ROSALLION in the St James’s Palace Stakes and then managed only fourth when a short-priced favourite in the Sussex Stakes behind NOTABLE SPEECH when he led and failed to find when challenged. HENRY LONGFELLOW is capable of sharp improvement if he gets a trail behind the leading pair and is a place chance.
Master trainer Andre Fabre has won this race a record seven times, the first in 1988 with SOVIET STAR and most recently with PERSIAN KING in 2020. He has TRIBALIST in the race who led and tired to finish last behind GOLDEN SIXTY in the LONGINES Hong Kong Mile in December. TRIBALIST rebounded by winning twice in Group races over a mile at Saint Cloud in April and May. He then switched back to 1200m last start at Deauville on 7 July and was unplaced but, back to his best distance, TRIBALIST is a place chance at good odds for Mickael Barzalona.
Comment
