As we prepare to celebrate the official halfway point of the season with the staging of the 44th meeting of 2025/26 campaign at Sha Tin tomorrow (8 February), it is timely to reflect on an extraordinary season that has already exceeded expectations.
Hong Kong is privileged to have two champions – KA YING RISING and ROMANTIC WARRIOR – currently ranked among the world’s top-10 racehorses, which is an incredible achievement from a horse population of only 1,300 horses, or 0.8% of the active thoroughbred population.
To have representation of almost 9% of the world’s champion racehorses in Hong Kong at the same time makes this not only an amazing season, but also underscores the towering quality of an era that will be forever cherished in this city.
Apart from the sheer brilliance this extraordinary pair displays in terms of athleticism and competitive superiority, they also deliver compelling narratives with their contrasting back stories and connections.
Hailing from the southern hemisphere, KA YING RISING is the world’s premier sprinter despite what many breeding purists would describe as unconventional pedigree with his dam MISSY MOO being a winner up to 2000m and having run over 3200m.
Despite his comparatively obscure breeding, KA YING RISING’s freakish talent has created history on multiple fronts as the joint record-holder for the most wins by a Hong Kong-trained horse with 17, the holder of Sha Tin’s 1200m course record and the first overseas horse to win the G1 The Everest (1200m).
Like KA YING RISING, ROMANTIC WARRIOR features STREET CRY in his pedigree and is also something of an anomaly as one of the very best middle-distance horses because his sire ACCLAMATION is renowned for sprinting progeny.
He is a rarity with the most imposing international record, highlighted by a record12 Group 1 victories by a Hong Kong horse – and with Group 1 triumphs in four separate racing jurisdictions from 1600m to 2040m on left-handed and right-handed tracks as well as finishing second in the world’s richest race, the G1 Saudi Cup which is run on dirt over 1800m.
Along with VOYAGE BUBBLE and Andre Fabre’s SOSIE, KA YING RISING and ROMANTIC WARRIOR were key factors in the stunning success of the 2025 LONGINES Hong Kong International Races, which produced tremendous excitement and record attendance of 13,370 tourists, including almost 10,000 from the Chinese Mainland.
As we prepare to enter the second half of the season with the unfolding Four-Year-Old Classic Series, which is crowned by the BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m), and FWD Champions Day, Hong Kong’s world-class racing continues to deliver wonderful entertainment for followers not only in Hong Kong, but around the world.
The state of the trainers’ championship with Mark Newnham (34 wins) holding a narrow lead over David Hayes (33), Caspar Fownes (33), Danny Shum (30), John Size (24) and Francis Lui (23) sets the stage for a fascinating run to the season finale on 15 July.
The January surges of Francis (10 wins) and John (nine) have added extra interest to the battle for supremacy, while several other trainers including Manfred Man (22 wins), Ricky Yiu (21), Cody Mo (20) and Frankie Lor (19) are also having strong campaigns.
Zac Purton is charging towards a ninth jockeys’ championship with 73 wins so far, leading Hugh Bowman (32), Andrea Atzeni (22), Vincent Ho (22), Luke Ferraris (21) and Karis Teetan (20).
Hong Kong has proved itself to be the destination of choice for jockeys – both homegrown and from around the world – to test and prove themselves over the years and we have seen many visiting riders return home over the years and display the benefits of riding in Hong Kong by winning jockeys’ championships or Group 1 races.
Among others, we currently have Frenchman Maxime Guyon – who is proven among the elite – and the talented young Irishman Dylan Browne McMonagle – competing in Hong Kong and I am pleased that Australian jockey Ethan Brown and Hong Kong’s own Nichola Yuen will be given opportunities to test themselves later this season in Hong Kong.
The feature race at Sha Tin this Sunday (8 February) is the G3 Centenary Vase Handicap, which is carded as Race 8 and will be run over 1800m at 4.05pm with prizemoney of HK$4.2 million.
The pace will be good to slow with NUMBERS setting the pace from gate two. CHANCHENG GLORY will track the leader from gate five, with ENCOUNTERED also prominent.
NUMBERS is one an exciting group of four-year-olds who is a potential contender in the Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) at Sha Tin on 1 March and the BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) on 22 March. He is Group 1-placed in Australia, being runner-up in the 2025 Queensland Derby (2400m). He was also placed over 2000m in a Group 3 in Australia, to give an indication that while he has stamina, he also has some speed. Frankie Lor has taken a different path towards the BMW Hong Kong Derby by not running in the Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) so that NUMBERS can stay at 1800m and above in distance.
NUMBERS has impressed with his two runs in Hong Kong, leading on both occasions and, on 27 December, keeping up a strong gallop under Derek Leung to easily beat WINNING WING and GENTLEMEN LEGACY over 2000m in fast time. Derek should be able to get an easy lead and, with his light weight, NUMBERS is my win and place selection.
CHANCHENG GLORY won this race last year, provingd too strong for WINNING DRAGON, with ENSUED and ENCOUNTERED running third and fourth, respectively. Last start, CHANCHENG GLORY met interference in running and wasn’t far away when seventh to SPEED DRAGON over 1800m in the January Cup at Happy Valley. Zac Purton rides CHANCHENG GLORY for the first time here and he is a place chance.
SPEED DRAGON was suited by the strong pace in the January Cup when he beat HUGE WAVE and HELENE FEELING. SPEED DRAGON rises in weight here but is an emerging talent and is a place chance for Lyle Hewitson.
ENCOUNTERED won the Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse over this course and distance earlier in the season for trainer Brett Crawford and ran well for fourth behind CHANCHENG GLORY in this race last year. ENCOUNTERED has spent time at Conghua since his fourth in the January Cup and is a place chance for Karis Teetan.
STRAIGHT ARRON (Dylan Browne McMonagle), BEAUTY JOY (Hugh Bowman) and ENSUED (Andrea Atzeni) are all capable of being in the finish on their best form.
On a personal note, I will watch this race from Saudi Arabia because I had to fly to Riyadh to participate in the 41st Asian Racing Conference, which starts on Monday (9 February).
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