Prognosis

HONG KONG, CHINA -- With one Hong Kong legend on his way to retirement, Peter Lau's Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) took another step towards cementing his own legacy, becoming the first to take the G1 FWD QE II Cup on three occasions under a masterful steer from James McDonald. Three deep into the first turn from a high draw, Romantic Warrior was hung out to dry without cover before McDonald tapped on the brakes just enough to allow the 6-year-old to slot in on the back of Sword Point...

HONG KONG, CHINA -- According to the Hong Kong Observatory, the city's weather forecast agency, about 230 millilitres of rain had fallen between the first of the year and Apr. 25. Of that amount, fully 200 mls have been recorded since the first of this month and the vast majority of that has occurred this week, as rain--at times heavy enough to completely obscure the top of the Sha Tin straight course--thunder and lightning have been just this side of relentless. The considerable precipitation has the connections of Hong Kong's...

Many of the 15 horses signed on for Sunday's G2 Sapporo Kinen were on trial for future events on foreign soil, and while the lion's share of those toiled in the tricky underfoot conditions, Shadai Race Horse's Prognosis (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) was the one standing tallest at the finish as he galloped home a decisive winner. Winner of the G2 Kinko Sho over the 2000 metres in March, Prognosis accepted an invitation to Hong Kong for the G1 FWD QE II Cup the following month, and, with record-setting Zac...

The return of Group 1 racing in Japan is officially about six weeks away, but Sunday's 2000-metre Sapporo Kinen--a Group 2 in name only--sees the return to action of some familiar names who are potentially looking to prep for big spots further afield over the coming months. Shahryar (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), the 2021 G1 Tokyo Yushun hero, makes his first start since finishing fifth to world's top-rated racehorse Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) in defence of his title in the G1 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic Mar. 25, with a...