There are many ways of measuring the rise of a new racing star and all offer something different.
Golden Sixty’s form line speaks for itself – with 11 wins from 12 starts including a clean sweep of last season’s Four-Year-Old Classic Series – but this is a horse whose impact is starting to resonate using several other important metrics.
Right from day one, Golden Sixty has been very impressive on the clock. Sectional times shine a vivid light on horses who are out of the ordinary and it is remarkable that Golden Sixty has dipped below 22.5s for his final 400m ten times in 12 starts, including that amazing 21.83s closer in the Derby.
Sunday was the fifth time he has recorded the fastest closing sectional of the day and that powerful turn of foot, which makes him such an exciting horse to watch, is an asset that even the most casual sports fan can relate to.
I went down to watch Golden Sixty being saddled before Sunday’s Celebration Cup and was a little concerned. To my eye he didn’t seem to be fully blooming in condition for his first test against high-class older horses but he took full advantage of the 17lb he received from Beauty Generation even though Vincent Ho estimates that he was only 70 or 75 percent fit.
It is important to remember that the Celebration Cup was a handicap. Golden Sixty will receive 10lb rather than 17lb from Beauty Generation if they meet in the G2 Sha Tin Trophy on 18 October but he is clearly still improving and to have an old champion and a young star like this embarking on what could be a series of head-to-head battles is fantastic for the profile of Hong Kong racing.
Sunday’s card contained several more notable angles. Karis Teetan sealed a treble as Joao Moreira drew a rare Sha Tin blank to move ahead of Zac Purton in the jockeys’ table, while the keen competition in the trainers’ division was illustrated by the fact that every one of the ten races was won by a different handler.
However, once again the day belonged to Francis Lui, Vincent and Hong Kong’s newest star. Sunday marked eight months to the day since the pandemic forced us to introduce our Behind Closed Doors model for Chinese New Year Raceday and Golden Sixty has become the ultimate Racing Bubble horse, winning four major races with very few people in attendance yet earning a growing status both at home and abroad.
Vincent, of course, has developed into a world-class rider and is realising his ambitions one by one. The Derby was first on his list, followed by an international G1 when Southern Legend pipped Beauty Generation in the FWD Champions Mile. Winning a LONGINES HKIR contest in December is the next obvious target and Golden Sixty is looking more and more like a legitimate contender after his latest thrilling success.
Thursday’s G3 National Day Cup is a 1000m handicap which will be run as Race 7 and conducted at a much slower tempo than usual. Yee Cheong Baby and Big Party will go forward from the outside draws with Computer Patch and Gold Chest in closest pursuit. Victoriam, Wishful Thinker and Jolly Banner will go back.
Computer Patch will benefit from his first up run when he pressed a demanding pace with a strong middle section. He will get every chance here from close to the pace and is a winner in his only prior start over this course and distance. He is a win and place chance under Moreira.
Big Party makes his first start of the season following an easy trial two weeks ago. He won last season’s G3 Bauhinia Sprint Trophy impressively over this distance and has enough speed to cross over and secure a good position with the lack of pace. He is a place chance.
Jolly Banner continues to defy his age, finishing second in the HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup recently in his first start as a nine-year-old. He had the same prep last season and ran extremely well to finish second in this race. Some will remember his win in the six-runner G3 Bauhinia Sprint Trophy at 89-1. He is also a place chance along with last-start winner Gold Chest.
Yee Cheong Baby makes his first start for his new stable and trainer Tony Millard has selected this Group race ahead of the Class 2 over the same trip next week at Happy Valley. He has not trialled since his last start and shows a 35lb drop in body weight since his last start in July.
Last but not least, it’s interesting to note that Joao has ridden in all 64 races run this season. He will be looking to extend his lead at the top of the jockeys’ table with another full book on National Day including on the exciting young sprinter Sky Field, who will be a heavy favourite to follow up his impressive September success for Caspar Fownes in Race 5.
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