Hong Kong

Two-time Hong Kong Horse of the Year Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road to Rock {Aus}), a latest second when looking for the three-peat in the G1 FWD Champions Mile, will remain in training for an 8-year-old season, owner Patrick Kwok tweeted May 7. "BEAUTY GENERATION will stay on in training in Hong Kong next season. With the retirement of his legendary trainer John Moore, our champ BG will move to David Hayes in 2020/21," the Beauty Stable tweeted Thursday. The former Montaigne, Group 1-placed in Australia under the care of Anthony...

Over the last week Australasian studs have begun to release their stallion fees for 2020, including for a number of shuttle stallions from Europe. The skies, however, have been notably light on air traffic since the coronavirus pandemic sent many nations into lockdown, and that has included a vast reduction in flights carrying horses. The breeding side of the racing business has thankfully been able to carry on largely unaffected. Under strict sanitary rules, broodmares have still been able to be transported for covering, and there is some reassurance of...

The 2020 renewal of FWD Champions Day was conducted on a misty and overcast Sunday afternoon at Sha Tin Racecourse in the New Territories, atmospheric conditions befitting the current state of racing in Hong Kong. A recent spike in coronavirus cases has led to a re-tightening of social distancing requirements, meaning just a smattering of connections at the track on a day that typically draws upwards of 50,000 racegoers and meaning that foreign horses--in particular, those based in Japan--were unable to contest a meeting at which they have tasted considerable...

FWD Champions Day at Hong Kong's Sha Tin Racecourse is annually a miniature version of December's Longines Hong Kong International Races, with three Group 1 races offering prize money of HK$63 million (£6.6 million/US$8.1 million) and only a top-level race over 2400 metres missing from the mix. At least some of the buzz about this year's event has been dashed owing to the coronavirus pandemic, which has rendered Champions Day a wholly domestic raceday, but the beat goes on, with the vast majority of the jurisdiction's top gallopers set to...

In his final year of training in Hong Kong, the legendary John Moore will saddle two of the three favourites on Sunday's FWD Champions Day program at Sha Tin. Thursday's barrier draw only enhanced the chances of the stable's two-time Horse of the Year Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road to Rock {Aus}) and rising star Aethero (Aus) (Sebring {Aus}), who each drew gate five for the G1 FWD Champions Mile and G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize, respectively. Beauty Generation became the first horse in Hong Kong racing history to crack the HK$100...

Aerclub (Ire) (Charm Spirit {Ire}), two-for-two in his young career, is set for a new chapter in the Far East having been sold to race in Hong Kong. The €18,000 Osarus yearling--who was bought for 45,000 gns at the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up & HIT Sale in May last year--impressed in winning both his starts for Henry de Bromhead and owner Stephen McCarthy, beating Joseph O'Brien's subsequent dual winner Dune Of Pilat (Fr) (Medaglia d'Oro) on his racecourse bow at Dundalk in November. The grandson of G3 Prix Quincey heroine Ing...

The Hong Kong International Sale, during which the Hong Kong Jockey Club offers to its licensed owners the opportunity to purchase race-ready horses it has acquired at auction houses from either hemisphere, has been postponed for the second time due to the COVID-19 situation in the Special Administrative Region, South China Morning Post reported Monday. The sale typically takes place on the Friday before the BMW Hong Kong Derby in a cocktail-hour type setting in the parade ring at Sha Tin Racecourse. Officials at the HKJC tentatively rescheduled the event...

Sent off as the 11-2 fourth choice in a field of six for Sunday's Yau Ma Tei Plate, the first griffin race of the year in Hong Kong, Sunny Star (Flatter) flopped out of the gates, but came with a stinging rally inside the final 200 meters to open his account at first asking, defeating 6-5 favorite Smiling Face (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) by 2 1/4 lengths. Chancheng Prince (Carpe Diem) raced prominently throughout and stuck on gamely for third. Sunny Star hopped in the air just as the gates flew...

A pair of American-bred 3-year-olds are among a field of six entered for Sunday's Yau Ma Tei Plate, the season's first race restricted to 'griffins' going the 1000-meter trip down the straight course at Sha Tin Racecourse. A griffin is defined as a 2-year-old or 3-year-old horse which has been imported into Hong Kong without having raced previously. The better-fancied of the two colts, each trained by second-leading and BMW Hong Kong Derby-winning conditioner Francis Lui, is Sunny Star (Flatter), who was trading overnight as the 19-5 third choice. Bred...

Aethero (Aus) (Sebring {Aus}), narrowly beaten into third as the $1.50 (1-2) favourite when last seen in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint Dec. 8, makes his return to action in Sunday's G2 Sprint Cup at Sha Tin Racecourse. The hulking chestnut was perfect and untouched in three runs last season, but stubbed his toe when a keen third in his Class 2 debut over 1200m last October. He clocked :54.69 when taking out a five-furlong test 11 days later and walloped the jurisdictions best short-trackers in the G2 Jockey...

Racing at the Singapore Turf Club, which had already been reduced to once a week, could be called off from Apr. 7 through May 4 in accordance with guidelines issued by the Singapore government Apr. 3, suspending all non-essential workplaces during that period. Friday's program at Kranji Racecourse, held spectator-free for the second straight week, went ahead as scheduled, but live racing is set to be canceled Apr. 10, Apr. 17 and Apr. 24. Racing was also due to take place May 1 and 2. Earlier in the week, officials...

Coronavirus has had a major affect on horse racing all across the globe, forcing the temporary abandonment of racing in a handful of prominent racing states in America, as well as Britain, France, hard-hit Italy and South Korea, while other places soldier on in front of empty grandstands. Hong Kong lies roughly 700 miles due south of Wuhan, the widely accepted epicentre of the virus's outbreak, but owing to aggressive action by the government and a populace that adhered strictly to preventive measures, racing has been allowed to continue in...