Longines Hong Kong Sprint

Some 44 horses representing England, France, Ireland, Japan, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates in addition to a typically deep group representing the home team will line up for Sunday's Longines Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin Racecourse in the New Territories, with record prizemoney of HK$118 million (£12 million/US$15.1 million) up for grabs across the four events. There figure to be clear favourites in each of the four races, but each come with his own set of question marks.   Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) loves the Sha...

The obstacles were already considerable for three-time reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) long before connections of the 44 runners for Sunday's Longines Hong Kong International Races meeting took their seats for Thursday's morning barrier draw in the Sha Tin parade ring. Already a nine-time Group 1 winner and victorious in 25 of his 29 career starts, the 8-year-old has not started since defeating Beauty Joy (Aus) (Sebring {Aus}) in the G1 Champions Mile in late April, a 224-day hiatus. Only twice in his...

Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and Highfield Princess (Fr) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) are among 16 elite-level winners and 25 overseas-based horses that have been extended invitations to the Longines Hong Kong International Races meeting at Sha Tin Racecourse Sunday, Dec. 9. Winner of this year's G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup and a narrowly beaten second to his GI Breeders' Cup Turf-winning stable companion Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in defence of his crown in the G1 Irish Champion S. at Leopardstown Sept. 9, the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup-bound Luxembourg...

The 2023 Longines Hong Kong International Races meeting to be held at Sha Tin Racecourse Sunday, Dec. 10, has attracted some 189 entries--including a whopping 68 from Japan--from a total of 12 racing jurisdictions. The four Group 1 races, collectively deemed the 'World Turf Championships, will offer record prizemoney of HK$118 million (£12.4 million/€14.3 million/A$23.8 million/US$15.1 million). The entries include no fewer than 55 Group 1 winners from around the globe, including Sunday Racing's exciting Japanese Triple Tiara winner Liberty Island (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}), who was given the option of...

Two-time reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) was allotted barrier four in a field of 10 mile specialists from Japan and Australia in addition to the locals as he shoots to equal the record of Good Ba Ba (Lear Fan) with a third consecutive victory in Sunday's G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin Racecourse. Winner under a five-pound penalty of the G2 BOCHK Jockey Club Mile when making his seasonal debut three weeks ago, the 7-year-old has won 22 of his 25...

A total of 127 foreign-based gallopers--of which fully one-third have already succeeded at the highest level--from eight jurisdictions across the globe have been entered for the HK$110-million Longines Hong Kong International Races to be staged at Sha Tin Racecourse Sunday, Dec. 11. With strict COVID protocols in place over the past two years and with a closed-loop system which allowed overseas entrants to train and compete, the Longines Hong Kong International Races still proved to be a target coveted by overseas connections, and saw victorious performances from the likes of...

Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) is likely to have the final start of her illustrious career in the G1 Japan Cup (2400m) at Tokyo Racecourse, her trainer Sakae Kunieda announced through the Twitter account of the Silk Horse Club syndicate that campaigns her. The 5-year-old daughter of Fusaichi Pandora (Jpn) (Sunday Silence) swept the Japanese Filly Triple Crown in 2018 and capped a Horse of the Year campaign with a smooth 1 3/4-length defeat of front-running Kiseki (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) in the Japan Cup. She added the G1 Dubai...

A total of 162 nominations from 10 racing jurisdictions, including no fewer than 61 Group 1/Grade I winners, have been received by the Hong Kong Jockey Club for the HK$95-million Longines Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin Racecourse Dec. 13. "We are delighted to have such strong nominations for our four Group 1 races in December," said Andrew Harding, Executive Director, Racing for the HKJC. "Considering the current climate in regard to the COVID-19 situation, it just reiterates that the Longines Hong Kong International Races are recognised the world...

It has been a season of upheaval in Hong Kong, the racing product threatened first by social unrest and then the coronavirus. But for the most part, the Hong Kong Jockey Club has been able to stay the course and Tuesday, it announced across-the-board increases in prize money for the 2020-21 season, including a 20% bump for its domestic centrepiece, the BMW Hong Kong Derby. "At a time when prize money levels are being cut worldwide, the prize money increases announced by the Hong Kong Jockey Club are very welcome...