Sha Tin

Just two trainers account for the seven runners signed on for Sunday's final Group 1 of the season in Hong Kong, the Standard Chartered Champions and Chater Cup over the metric mile and a half. One of them, the legendary Tony Cruz, sends out the three top-rated runners, including Exultant (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), who--with a successful defence of his title--could earn front-runner status for local Horse of the Year. As strong as even in 2019-2020, the 6-year-old was third when looking for the repeat in the G1 Longines Hong Kong...

The first of two sessions of the Hong Kong International Sale took place Saturday morning in the parade ring at Sha Tin Racecourse, having been postponed from Hong Kong Derby weekend in mid-March owing to the COVID-19 outbreak. Some 16 lots, purchased in Europe and South America, were scheduled to go under the hammer before five withdrawals earlier in the week left 11 ready-to-run gallopers to be offered. Owner Kerm Din, who campaigned one of the HKIS's most notable graduates in the form of 'TDN Rising Star' and MG1SW Pakistan...

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...

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...

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...

Joe Miller and Kip Elser are no strangers to success in the American bloodstock business. In a 15-year stint with Kern Thoroughbreds, Miller has helped manage the racing and breeding operations of Tracy Farmer and Len Riggio's My Meadowview Farm, while Elser's Kirkwood Stables' graduates include GI Kentucky Oaks winners Plum Pretty (Medaglia d'Oro), Keeper Hill (Deputy Minister) and Gal In a Ruckus (Bold Ruckus); the top-level winning half-siblings Sharp Cat (Storm Cat) and Royal Anthem (Theatrical {Ire}); and GI Breeders' Cup Classic hero Alphabet Soup (Cozzene). Always ready to...

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...

by Alan Carasso Neither a minor temperature nor Sunday's 1800-metre trip proved a task too tall for the talented Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro), who was the recipient of a thinking-man's ride from the up-and-coming Vincent Ho and showed his customary electric turn of foot to add the Hong Kong Classic Cup to his prior victory in the Hong Kong Classic Mile. Now just once-beaten in 10 trips to the races, Golden Sixty can join the late Rapper Dragon (Aus) (Street Boss) as the only horses in history to sweep...