Graham Cunningham previews the new season in Hong Kong

Ten months of compelling action featuring stars from all over the world and enough money to make your eyes water.

The Premier League blazed back into action last month and its racing equivalent follows suit on Sunday when KA YING RISING headlines day one of a new HK season at Sha Tin.

It didn’t pay to look beyond the obvious last season – with KYR, ROMANTIC WARRIOR and ZAC PURTON dominating their respective divisions – but a new season presents fresh challenges and the chance to speculate on how various key stories will develop.

KA YING RISING

History shows that all great HK champions meet with defeat at some point, but finding a flaw in a brilliant gelding who has shredded the record books during a winning streak of 20 is nigh-on impossible.

Sunday’s Chief Executive’s Cup is the intended springboard to another tilt at the Everest, followed by the Jockey Club Sprint in November and a third Hong Kong Sprint in December.

Stand by for noises off from those who don’t think a great horse deserves that tag until he’s done it at Royal Ascot, but that’s a minor irritation.

Ka Ying Rising is “bigger and stronger than ever” and none the worse for a small setback earlier this week according to his handler David Hayes. We could be in for something very special if the veteran Aussie is correct in his opinion that “I still think we have another season of him improving.”

ROMANTIC WARRIOR

Romantic Warrior retires as one of the HK greats

Nothing lasts forever and the horse who has done more than any other to put HK racing on the global stage heads into honourable retirement due to a leg problem.

His achievements – with fifteen G1s including in Japan, Australia and Dubai and an unprecedented four Hong Kong Cups – are very unlikely to be equalled and his versatility and durability were exceptional.

The way that Danny Shum, James McDonald and owner Peter Lau adored him provided another compelling side to the story, but the void he leaves creates a huge opportunity over the next few months.

Fellow Derby winner INVINCIBLE IBIS could prove one of the chief beneficiaries, but the champ’s departure will have a notable impact on HKIR week. And with the champ out of the way, connections of leading Euro stars will be missing a massive opportunity if they don’t consider a tilt at the £4m plus on offer for the Cup this December.

ZAC PURTON

Four years have passed since Purton said he wouldn’t be riding in two years’ time and, fresh from his ninth title and reaching 2,000 winners, the king of the HK weighing room won’t be going anywhere so long as Ka Ying Rising remains in his pomp.

Purton’s blend of poise, timing, mental strength and native cunning has long made him a perfect fit for the intensity of HK racing. Fitness allowing, he will find himself aboard the thick end of 300 favourites again this season. Backing them all blind is a swift route to the poor house – but he’ll ride twice as many winners as his nearest rival if all goes well.

THE EUROS

Third in the jockeys’ championship for the second consecutive season behind Purton and Hugh Bowman, the impressive ANDREA ATZENI enjoyed his best season so far with 63 winners worth the thick end of £10m in prize money.

Able to ride light with a strong contacts book, the silky Sardinian looks nailed on for another successful season, while HARRY BENTLEY was ticking along nicely with 34 winners when injury ended his campaign in June but is back and ready to go again.

RICHARD KINGSCOTE knew nothing would come easy when he moved to HK this time last year. He was right but is hoping to earn a longer stay by building on last season’s total of 16, while HK’s sole British handler DAVID EUSTACE enjoyed a solid second season, finishing in the middle of the trainers’ table with 38 winners including his first HK Group race success provided by Light Years Charm in the Lion Rock Trophy.

CASPAR AND CO

Predicting which trainers will thrive is a tricky business at the start of any HK season.

Boosted by Joao Moreira for the final push, CASPAR FOWNES secured his fifth title in July, but backing up is hard when most of your team are well known to the handicapper and three rivals are well worth a mention.

MARK NEWNHAM has made tremendous strides since moving to HK in the summer of 2023 and his 2025-26 season – which saw him finish third behind Fownes and Shum with 61 winners – was by far his best yet.

A Derby win with Invincible Ibis and a first G1 success thanks to My Wish in the Champions Mile were the clear highlights, but Newnham has shown he can maximise potential right across the board, which is essential for any title aspirant.

FRANCIS LUI didn’t start last season well – with just four winners before November – but he worked his way into the top five to end with some very promising youngsters at the forefront.

BRETT CRAWFORD won’t be thinking of titles in his second season since arriving from South Africa but his debut tally of 28 winners, with far fewer runners than most of his peers, represented a very promising start. Smart youngster MR INCREDIBLE leads his young brigade, while the mercurial GALAXY PATCH has clear Group race prowess if the canny Crawford can keep him sweet and racing efficiently.

THE NEW ARRIVAL

No major jockey signings during the summer but the trainer transfer window has been open and the arrival of JAMES CUMMINGS – grandson of Bart and the youngest Aussie handler to reach 50 G1 wins at just 36 – has attracted major interest.

Formerly Godolphin’s main handler Down Under, Cummings has stressed that he will be in no rush and, given that he is up against a raft of seasoned operators with full barns, the learning curve could be steep.

That said, owners haven’t been shy in supporting the new boy with smart imports.

PROVIDENCE has been bought with the 2027 BMW Hong Kong Derby in mind after winning the Queensland Derby for Chris Waller, while connections will be hoping to follow a similar path with GENERIC, who left Andrew Balding with a BHA rating of 109 after his gutsy defeat of G3 rivals in the Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot.

ANY MORE UK AND IRISH IMPORTS TO NOTE?

Plenty - and a couple of Karl Burke’s best three-year-olds are among them.

Greenham winner and Irish Guineas fifth ALPARSLAN has joined Douglas Whyte, while SHAYEM is also reportedly HK bound after holding Godolphin hotpot Talk Of New York in a G3 at Glorious Goodwood.

Good luck to both, but they carry BHA ratings of 112 and 113 in their luggage. That will almost certainly equate to a HK rating of pushing 90 – and history shows that Class 2 handicaps at Sha Tin can be a very tough school for new boys in their early days.

SUNDAY’S SEASON OPENER

The headline act will appear early – as small fields tend to be turnover passion killers in HK – but there’s plenty to note aside from Ka Ying Rising.

Purton has a full book of ten rides to shake off the summer holiday cobwebs including several strong chances in the second half of the card, while Vincent Ho will be hoping that Baby Sakura can continue his progress in an intriguing Cotton Tree Handicap at 10.20.

The final fields are out for a ten-race card, and the first HK File of the year will be free to view on sportinglife.com on Saturday morning.

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