Our man on the ground John Ingles profiles some of the local stars ahead of Sunday's Hong Kong International Races.
Golden Sixty
Hong Kong Mile
Heading the list of locally-trained horses taking on the overseas contingent in Sunday’s Hong Kong International Races is Hong Kong’s reigning Horse of The Year, Golden Sixty. He’s held that title for the last two seasons, with the highlight of both those campaigns being victory in the Hong Kong Mile. A third win in that contest would put him alongside Good Ba Ba, winner of the same race from 2007 to 2009 and the only triple winner to date at the meeting.
Golden Sixty is also Hong Kong’s record prize-money earner thanks to a formidable record of 22 wins from 25 starts, and while two of those defeats came in his first couple of outings early this year, it’s been business as usual since with three more victories.
As in the last two years, Golden Sixty warmed up for the Hong Kong Mile by winning the Jockey Club Mile three weeks ago, beating several rivals who take him on again on Sunday. That race wasn’t run to suit Golden Sixty as Zac Purton set a steady pace on the front-running California Spangle but, despite that, Golden Sixty’s usual turn of foot, his most potent weapon, kicked in when it mattered to take him to a neck victory under his regular jockey Vincent Ho.
In receipt of 5 lb in that Group 2 contest, the Jockey Club Mile certainly looked California Spangle’s best opportunity to beat Golden Sixty, particularly with the latter also having been absent for seven months beforehand, and his task at level weights looks a lot tougher this time. Indeed, speaking earlier this week, Purton said he believed only bad luck could get Golden Sixty beaten in his hat-trick bid, adding that he’s the best horse he’s seen in Hong Kong.
Romantic Warrior
Hong Kong Cup
California Spangle, who had earlier also finished runner-up to Golden Sixty in the Champions Mile in the spring, is compiling a fine record himself, yet to finish out of the first two, and came up against another of Hong Kong’s best horses – the leading local contender for the Hong Kong Cup - Romantic Warrior, when going down by a neck in the mile and a quarter Hong Kong Derby in March.
The Irish-bred gelding, originally bought as a yearling by Michael Kinane, only began his career in October of last year but has since proved one of Hong Kong’s most progressive performers, racking up eight wins from nine starts, with his Derby victory and then his subsequent beating of last year’s Hong Kong Cup fifth Tourbillon Diamond in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup earning him the title of champion middle-distance horse for the 2021/22 season.
Like Golden Sixty, Romantic Warrior made a successful return to action three weeks ago when beating Tourbillon Diamond again in the Jockey Club Cup, travelling well in mid-division and quickening to lead a furlong out.
Wellington
Hong Kong Sprint
Wellington was only seventh of the eight finishers in last year’s Hong Kong Sprint but that performance can safely be ignored as he was hampered in the nasty incident on the home turn which put four horses out of the race. Since then, Wellington has won four of his six starts this year, earning the champion sprinter title for the 2021/22 season, and has now finished in front of Sky Field, the winner of last year’s Hong Kong Sprint, on the last four occasions that they’ve met.
Wellington’s two most recent starts this autumn have seen him come up against the rising star in the sprinting ranks, Lucky Sweynesse, and while he successfully conceded 11 lb to that rival in the Group 2 Premier Bowl Handicap, it was a different story despite more favourable terms in the Jockey Club Sprint three weeks ago.
Wellington improved to make his challenge a furlong out but his effort flattened out, finishing only sixth. Whilst found to be lame in a hind leg afterwards, Wellington is reported to have recovered fully, and while he has to turn the tables on four rivals who beat him last time, he meets all of them on better terms this time and, with his regular partner injured, he’ll have Ryan Moore substituting in the saddle.
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