Elite international competition is the jewel in horseracing’s crown and this weekend shapes as one to savour with champion horses, trainers and jockeys vying for Group 1 glory in Australia, Great Britain, Brazil and Japan.
The appearance of the world’s highest-rated sprinter KA YING RISING in the G1 The Everest (1200m) in Sydney has created tremendous interest and the Australian Turf Club and Racing New South Wales are to be congratulated on the way they have promoted KA YING RISING’s participation in the race.
KA YING RISING’s presence in Sydney has certainly galvanised the attention of the international horseracing community and it will be fascinating to watch how The Everest plays out on Saturday (18 October), with the race meeting already sold out.
In my view, travelling away from Sha Tin to compete against the best local talents – sprinters, middle-distance or stayers – is the most difficult challenge visiting horses face and it will be no different for KA YING RISING, even with David Hayes and Zac Purton in his corner.
KA YING RISING has drawn gate seven for The Everest, which David believes is perfect and will allow Zac to have tactical options to either lead or sit just behind the leaders, but the biggest issue for KA YING RISING on race day is how he handles the pre-race atmosphere at Royal Randwick with the big crowd and the amount of time he spends in the tie-up stalls with the concern he might expend too much energy if he becomes stressed and ultimately perform below his best.
The G1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) in Melbourne is also of keen interest on Saturday with Andrea Atzeni riding MEYDAAN for Simon & Ed Crisford and I wish them the best of luck in what is traditionally a very testing handicap.
Another of Saturday’s highlights is the staging of British Champions Day at Ascot with the running of five Group 1 races – the British Champions Long Distance Cup (3190m), British Champions Sprint Stakes (1200m), British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (2392m), Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (1600m) and the Champion Stakes (1993m).
Early on Sunday morning (19 October), our attention turns to Gavea Racecourse in Brazil for two of South America’s most prestigious Group 1 contests – the Gran Premio Jockey Club de Sao Paulo (2000m) and the Gran Premio Latinoamericano (2000m) – showcasing the best of the continent’s middle-distance horses.
And to complete an incredible stream of Group 1 action, the Shuka Sho (2000m) – which is the third leg of the Japanese Triple Tiara – will be run at Kyoto Racecourse on Sunday and features star filly Kamunyak.
Crowning a wonderful weekend of amazing equine competition is the G2 Sha Tin Trophy (1600m) at Sha Tin with the reappearance of Hong Kong champion miler and Hong Kong champion stayer VOYAGE BUBBLE, who faces fellow Group 1 winners RED LION and BEAUTY ETERNAL as well as the fast-rising MY WISH, among others including GALAXY PATCH.
At Happy Valley tonight (Wednesday, 15 October), the Oktoberfest celebrations continue in the Beer Garden. Patrons will be able to enjoy traditional Bavarian Beerhall entertainment with music from six-piece folk band, The Young Bucks, as well as sampling fine German beers and food.
Last week’s keg-tapping and official launch of the Oktoberfest were well received and I look forward to another wonderful evening of world-class racing and off-track entertainment.
The competitive highlight at Happy Valley is the Class 2 Lei Yue Mun Handicap, which is carded as Race 7 and will be run over 1800m at 9.45pm with prizemoney of HK$3.12 million.
The speed will be good with TELECOM FIGHTERS (James Orman) adopting his usual role as pacemaker. CALIFORNIATOTALITY (Alexis Badel) should settle behind the leader with WINNING DRAGON (Brenton Avdulla). JUMBO LEGEND (Ellis Wong) and HELENE FEELING (Jerry Chau) should also be prominent.
LO RIDER (Harry Bentley) resumed brilliantly on 17 September, holding off a late finish from ENCOUNTERED to win over 1650m. LO RIDER has been in Conghua since and will be suited stepping up in distance. He is a win and place chance.
ENCOUNTERED (Karis Teetan) finished strongly in the closing stages to run an eye-catching second to LO RIDER over 1650m. ENCOUNTERED has won over 1800m at Sha Tin and has multiple wins at Happy Valley over 1650m. ENCOUNTERED’s first-up effort pointed to a return to his best form and he is a place chance.
JUMBO LEGEND won four times at this track last season and will take benefit from his first up run and he is a place chance, along with CALIFORNIATOTALITY, who starts from gate one.
SPEED DRAGON (Vincent Ho) is an interesting runner making his return to racing. He ran well in his four-year-old season and won over this course and distance in January beating CALIFORNIATOTALITY. SPEED DRAGON looked good in winning a recent trial and would be very competitive with his best form.
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