Wellington

While the ongoing complications caused by COVID-19 have resulted in no overseas competition, Sunday's FWD Champions Day meeting at Sha Tin will not lack for intrigue, as the region's top horses face a real challenge from the first two home in last month's BMW Hong Kong Derby. Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) is the afternoon's pin-up horse as he seeks an unprecedented 21st career victory when he goes in defence of his crown in the G1 FWD Champions Mile. The 6-year-old suffered the second and third losses of his career...

by Alan Carasso Russian Emperor (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the winner of the G3 Hampton Court S. at Royal Ascot in 2020, had run some mighty races since being imported into Hong Kong, but just hadn't had that breakthrough moment. On a rain-soaked Sunday afternoon where the thermometer never made it into the double digits, the 5-year-old finally stood centre stage following a bloodless, 4 1/4-length thrashing of a field that included Horse of the Year Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) in the G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup at Sha...

Having suffered a shock defeat when last seen in the G1 Stewards' Cup--his first in over 30 months--Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) will have atonement on his mind when he goes in search of back-to-back victories in the G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000mT) Sunday afternoon at Sha Tin Racecourse. There was plenty to play for in the Stewards', as Golden Sixty had taken his winning streak to 16 with a second consecutive success in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile in December and had the chance to draw...

Reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) is already the owner of one local record, having become the winningest horse in Hong Kong history when easily defending his title in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile six weeks ago. The 6-year-old looms a dominant favourite when he goes in search of a second consecutive victory in Sunday's G1 Stewards' Cup over his pet distance and two more records lie straight ahead. The Hong Kong Mile was win number 19 from 20 starts and not only...

by Alan Carasso The Longines Hong Kong International Races meeting Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse has had much to overcome over the last few years. In 2019, massive social unrest--including a cluster at the Chinese University of Hong Kong a stone's throw from the track--left some doubt as to whether the event would go forward at all. At the end of the day, not only did it proceed, but it was supported to the tune of record turnover of HK$1.71 billion. Twelve months ago, in the midst of a pandemic...

A total of 43 horses representing Hong Kong, England, Ireland, France and Japan were entered for Sunday's HK$100 million Longines Hong Kong International Meeting at Sha Tin Racecourse, and the luck of the barrier draw--held Thursday morning in the parade ride at the track--was much in favour of the horses that are anticipated to be at the head of the markets in the four events. For a horse like reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro), who likes to get back and then put his...

Frenchman Alexis Badel rode his first race in Hong Kong on a two-month contract on Longines Hong Kong International Races day Dec. 11, 2016 and earned his first local victory a little more than two weeks later, guiding Supreme Profit (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) to a 24-1 upset of a 2000-metre Class 2 at Sha Tin for trainer Danny Shum, one of seven wins during that stint. Five years later, the former French champion apprentice will ride for much bigger stakes, with mounts in three of the four races...

Having passed the potentially gut-busting early-season group handicaps, where he'd have been forced to concede plenty of weight, reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) makes his much-anticipated 6-year-old debut in Sunday's G2 BOCHK Private Wealth Jockey Club Mile at Sha Tin Racecourse. By all accounts, it is a much more mature version of Golden Sixty, who was last seen taking out the G1 FWD Champions Mile nearly seven months ago to run his winning streak to 14, three wins shy of the record held...

With a record HK$100 million available across the four tests that comprise the Longines Hong Kong International Races, some 135 horses from all corners of the globe--including a whopping 57 that have already struck at Group 1/Grade I level--have been entered for the 'Turf World Championships,' to be held Sunday, Dec. 12 at Sha Tin Racecourse. Despite the ongoing complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic--the staging of the Longines HKIR is officially subject to the approval of the HKSAR Government--fully 90 entries were received from the connections of overseas runners,...

On this day 12 months ago, jockey Vincent Ho guided Southern Legend (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) to an upset victory in the FWD Champions Mile, his first Group 1 score some 10 years removed from being named the champion apprentice rider in Hong Kong and about a month after throwing Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) across the line first in the prestigious BMW Hong Kong Derby. Sunday's FWD Champions Day program at Sha Tin, attended by the biggest on-track crowd since COVID-19 took hold last year, marked a...