The build-up has been intense but soon it will be time for some world-class horses and their riders to do the talking on FWD Champions Day.
This is the second time we have run all our three spring Group 1 contests on the same day and, as with any young, ambitious project, we are building gradually towards our ultimate objective.
Our aim is make this one of the world’s classic racedays and this weekend’s signs are positive, with 15 individual G1 winners spread across the three highlights and so many fascinating angles to consider.
As ever, several of them revolve around our Horse of the Year Beauty Generation, who bids to extend his amazing winning streak to nine and break Viva Pataca’s all-time Hong Kong prize money record of HK$83.1 million.
Racing fans all over the world will be tuning in to see if John Moore’s gelding can put on another show of strength in the FWD Champions Mile and there is so much more to look forward to on Sunday’s card.
Beat The Clock leads the home challenge for the Chairman’s Sprint Prize after the withdrawal of Mr Stunning but he faces a powerful foreign challenge headed by Santa Ana Lane, fresh from a dominant G1 success in the T J Smith Stakes at Randwick.
Having Australia’s best sprinter here adds a huge amount to a race that always provides a thrilling finish, while the FWD QEII Cup is one of the most open and competitive G1 contests I can recall for a long time.
Eight of the field have scored at G1 level, including last year’s impressive winner Pakistan Star. His former stablemate Exultant bids to become the first horse ever to win the Hong Kong Vase, the Hong Kong Gold Cup and the QEII Cup in the same season, while Japan is very strongly represented with Deirdre and Lys Gracieux making a welcome return having gone very close during HKIR week.
Add in three of the first four home from the Hong Kong Derby and the prospect of a demanding early pace if the battling brothers Time Warp and Glorious Forever go head to head and you can see we have a special climax in store.
A lot of work has gone into creating this event and our thanks go out to a wide range of HKJC teams who have helped in preparations.
I am sure you will agree the cast list is exceptional – with Beauty Generation and Santa Ana Lane lining up as the highest rated active racehorses in the world – and the stage is now set for what promises to be a wonderful day’s racing at Sha Tin.
The Chairman’s Sprint Prize is the first of three Group 1 races and the pace will be a bit slow. The Japanese mare Nac Venus may make the running by default as it is difficult to find a horse that wants to lead. Little Giant will be on the pace with Beat The Clock in close pursuit.
Santa Ana Lane will go back but may need to be a bit closer to the pace than usual to compensate for slower sectionals over the early stages. The pace and the humidity are obstacles he will need to overcome but he is a top-class sprinter.
Jockey Hugh Bowman will guide him to the outside at the top of the straight to set up his big finish. It is quite interesting to note that his odds have been no less than 7.5 in any of his last 10 runs with five Group 1 wins during that time. It was his last win in the T J Smith that earned him his international rating of 124, one point higher than Chautauqua when he won this race three years ago for Australia.
Beat The Clock is in the best form of his career and Moreira will need to use him a bit early to avoid being caught wide. Along with Santa Ana Lane he is a clear favourite and both horses are win and place chances. Little Giant has been freshened up for this and I expect him to turn in a strong effort. He is a place chance along with last start winner Rattan.
In the FWD Champions Mile, Beauty Generation looks a standout. The world number one should control the pace and increase the tempo with each section. He will be a prohibitive favourite and deservedly so. The race appears to be for second and I give a slight edge to Singapore Sling over Seasons Bloom and Conte.
The FWD QEII Cup is a very strong contest and one of the most open seen for a long time with at least seven realistic winning chances. Glorious Forever has been trained to accept restraint and demonstrated in his most recent trial that the strategy is working. His older brother Time Warp should therefore lead and Glorious Forever should drop in behind him.
The most interesting horse from a tactics viewpoint is Waikuku, who has been going back after a series of wide draws, but the opportunity exists to press forward from barrier eight. Exultant has shown he is versatile tactically and Purton will react accordingly depending on the pace, while Dark Dream and Pakistan Star are likely to be in midfield with Furore, Deirdre, Lys Gracieux and Exultant ridden patiently.
Lys Gracieux has shown high-class form, including when a close second to Exultant in the LONGINES Hong Kong Vase, and looked as good as ever on her reappearance run. She is my first choice, while Glorious Forever looks well and is also a win and place chance if back to the form he showed to win the Hong Kong Cup.
Furore got the breaks at the right time in the Derby and can go well again, while Waikuku and Pakistan Star should not be underestimated. Deirdre has to overcome the disadvantage of having flown from Japan to Dubai and then on to Hong Kong and, although Exultant has had a great season in top middle distance races, he has not looked as good in his recent trackwork as he did before his two G1 wins.
One final point relates to the track condition. Rain and a yielding surface could be problematic for the Japanese runners, whereas Dark Dream has good form on a wet track and would be suited by such conditions.
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