Sha Tin Sunday preview: Timeform verdict on the Group Ones

06:10 Hong Kong Vase

The first of the four Hong Kong International Races, the Vase, is usually destined to go overseas, with the mile and a half trip being much more familiar territory for the Europeans and the Japanese than it is for the locals.

That looks like being the case again this year, with a strong European contingent including Marco Botti’s Giavellotto who bids to become the fifth dual winner of the Vase after showing an impressive turn of foot to recover from interference and land the spoils 12 months ago. He returned to winning form at Kempton in the September Stakes before giving a good account on ground perhaps softer than ideal when fourth behind Daryz in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Heading the Timeform ratings, though, is Al Riffa for Joseph O’Brien. He had a tough task under top weight in the Melbourne Cup last time where he wasn’t ideally placed in a steadily run race and is much better judged on his career-best effort the time before when a convincing four-length winner of the Irish St Leger. Back under regular partner Dylan Browne McMonagle, he’s capable of making a winning move from off the pace.

Giavellotto should go well again but he’s very closely matched on Arc form with Sosie who was just a head in front of him in third on that occasion. A dual Group 1 winner at Longchamp earlier in the year in the Prix Ganay and Prix d’Ispahan, Sosie represents Andre Fabre and owners Wertheimer et Frere who won this two years ago with Junko. Sosie has a more solid record than fellow French hope Goliath, down the field in the Breeders’ Cup Turf last time, though last year’s King George winner is very smart on his day as he showed again in the Grosser Preis von Baden two starts ago when beating last year’s Hong Kong Vase runner-up Dubai Honour.

Timeform’s Top 5 weight-adjusted ratings in the HK Vase

139 Al Riffa
136 Sosie
136 Urban Chic
135 Giavellotto
134 Goliath

06:50 Hong Kong Sprint

The local punters should have more to cheer about in the Hong Kong Sprint, though whether Ka Ying Rising goes off at a price that makes him a betting proposition is another matter entirely.

Timeform’s highest rated horse in the world this year (master rating 135, weight-adjusted rating 149) ran to that outstanding figure for the second time when coasting to his latest 20/1-on victory in the Jockey Club Sprint last month. That was Ka Ying Rising’s seventh win of the year, extending his winning streak to his last 15 races, having also bagged the world’s richest turf race, the Everest, when sent to Australia in October.

Ka Ying Rising made his Group 1 breakthrough in last year’s Hong Kong Sprint, and it may well be that the pair who chased him home then will be fighting it out for minor honours again. Japan’s top sprinter Satono Reve was third last year and was beaten by a wider margin by Ka Ying Rising again when runner-up in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize in April, while Helios Express is a long-suffering rival of Ka Ying Rising’s. Last year’s runner-up has been placed behind him another five times this year.

It’s worth noting that the only horse to have beaten Ka Ying Rising is also in the line-up, Wunderbar doing so twice, though that was very early in the career of both horses and Ka Ying Rising has made giant strides since then. Charlie Hills runs veteran Khaadem who was third in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint last time, but he will do well to reach the places in this company.

Timeform’s Top 5 weight-adjusted ratings in the HK Sprint:

149 Ka Ying Rising
137 Satono Reve
136 Helios Express
134 Win Carnelian
133 Fast Network

08:00 Hong Kong Mile

Much more competitive, on the other hand, is the Hong Kong Mile, where there is no stand-out performer, though the logical favourite and top in the Timeform ratings is last year’s winner Voyage Bubble. Also runner-up to triple winner Golden Sixty in 2023, Voyage Bubble has proven himself a versatile gelding this year with Group 1 wins at Sha Tin at a mile, a mile and a quarter and a mile and a half and ran well in defeat last time when chasing home another multiple HKIR winner, Romantic Warrior, in the Jockey Club Cup, so is in good form to retain his title.

Several of Voyage Bubble’s rivals contested the Jockey Club Mile instead that day, where Galaxy Patch enjoyed a dream run up the inner to come out on top in a close finish, but he was only seventh in this race last year so will need to pull out a bit more here. Japan’s Soul Rush was beaten just over a length in second 12 months ago, improving on his fourth place in 2023, and has good place claims again, though Romantic Warrior wasn’t at his best when Soul Rush got up to beat him a nose in the Dubai Turf in April.

French colt Beauvatier could be the most interesting of Europe’s three runners in the Mile. Raced mainly over shorter trips of late but with form at a mile in the past, he was delivered late to win the Challenge Stakes at Newmarket last time and his style of running should suit Sha Tin. Docklands met some trouble when down the field in last year’s Hong Kong Mile after one of his slow starts, and while he has won the Queen Anne Stakes since then, the suspicion is that he is better on straight tracks. The Lion In Winter has found one or two too good in top mile company of late, most recently when third at the Breeders’ Cup, so he’ll need to find a bit more to secure more than place money.

Timeform’s Top 5 weight-adjusted ratings in the HK Mile:

138 Voyage Bubbl
136 Galaxy Patch
136 Soul Rush
135 Red Lion
135 Sunlight Power

08:40 Hong Kong Cup

The Hong Kong Cup should be the highlight on the card, being the most valuable of the four International Races, and it may well see history made with Romantic Warrior bidding to become the first four-time winner at the fixture. It’s just a pity that he’s been left with only six to beat after some of his would-be rivals have met with setbacks over the last week. Apart from his excellent record at Sha Tin, Romantic Warrior has proven himself overseas in Australia and Japan in previous seasons and added to his record bank balance in the Middle East early in the year, notably when winning the Jebel Hatta in Dubai and finishing an excellent second on dirt to subsequent Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Forever Young in the Saudi Cup.

It hasn’t all been plain sailing for Romantic Warrior, however, as he required fetlock surgery in May, but he looked as smooth as ever when returning last month to win the Jockey Club Cup for the third year running and, like Ka Ying Rising in the Sprint, he’s the clear pick on form. There’s little to choose between his rivals who include Joseph O’Brien’s Bahrain Trophy runner-up Galen and Francis-Henri Graffard’s mare Quisisana who was third behind Kalpana in the Fillies’ And Mares’ Stakes at Ascot on her latest start.

Timeform’s Top 5 weight-adjusted ratings in the HK Cup:

143 Romantic Warrior
135 Bellagio Opera
134 Quisisana
134 Straight Arron
133 Galen
133 Rousham Park

More from Sporting Life

• Racecards
• Fast results
• Full results and free video replays
• Horse racing news
• Horse racing tips
• Horse racing features
• Download our free iOS and Android app
• Football and other sports tips
• Podcasts and video content

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.