Trainer Francis Lui is set to field multiple contenders in Sunday's Class One Hong Kong Racehorse Owners Association Trophy, with promising three-year-old Gold Patch and hat-trick seeker Meaningful Dragon expected to draw significant attention. Gold Patch returns from a minor setback, while Meaningful Dragon aims for his third consecutive win.
Star jockey Damian Lane is expected to partner Fast Network in the Group Two Centaur Stakes at Hanshin and the Group One Sprinters Stakes at Nakayama. The Dennis Yip-trained galloper has had a strong season in Hong Kong and is building fitness at Conghua.
Jockey Hugh Bowman anticipates strong performances from consistent horses Liveandletlive and Superb King at Happy Valley. Liveandletlive aims for a Class Two win, while Superb King seeks a breakthrough in Class Four. Bowman also discusses rides on Casa Rochester, Eternal Fortune, Always My Folks, Never Too Soon, and Aurio.
Solid State, a former Australian galloper, secured the largest Private Purchase (PP) debut win in Hong Kong in two decades for trainer Frankie Lor Fu-chuen. Despite the dominant victory, historical trends suggest the horse faces a challenge in maintaining its performance. Separately, Luke Ferraris and Jerry Chau Chun-lok will join Vincent Ho Chak-yiu in Team Hong Kong for the Shergar Cup.
Jockey Andrea Atzeni is set to compete at Happy Valley with several promising rides, including Lucky Year in the "Eight To Glory" race, which features Fifa World Cup team colors. Atzeni aims for a win with U S Navy Flag and hopes for a strong showing from Aerodynamics and Jubilant Winner, among others.
Trainer Frankie Lor expresses optimism for his horses competing in Saturday's Sha Tin races, highlighting Bottomuptogether's return to 1,000m with Britney Wong's 7lb claim, Run Run Smart's first dirt start, and veteran Sword Point's potential.
Nominees for the Champion Awards have been announced, with the Champion Miler category featuring a tight contest between My Wish, Voyage Bubble, and Romantic Warrior. Separately, Ka Ying Rising's top spot in the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings is under threat from Ombudsman.
Little Paradise, ridden by Zac Purton and trained by Jimmy Ting, secured a decisive victory in the Group Three Premier Cup at Sha Tin. The four-year-old gelding overcame an eight-week break and a luckless run in the Champions Mile to win by two lengths, with Galaxy Patch finishing second.
British jockey Harry Bentley is undergoing rehabilitation after a severe fall at Sha Tin resulted in a fractured forearm, fractured shoulder blade, and five broken ribs. He aims to return to riding at the start of next season in September.
Hot Delight, ridden by Vincent Ho, won the Class Two Hong Kong Jockey Club Scholarships Handicap, solidifying his Classic Series contender status. Meanwhile, Ricky Yiu achieved his 1,100th Hong Kong win, and trainers Dennis Yip and Mark Newnham also secured doubles.
Jockey Harry Bentley is set to ride Packing Angel in the Class Two Tai Tam Gap Handicap at Happy Valley, aiming for a second consecutive win. Bentley also has rides on several other horses trained by David Hayes and Douglas Whyte.
Jockey Harry Bentley aims for consecutive victories aboard Packing Angel at Happy Valley. He also has rides on All Round Winner, Dashing Maurison, Harmony N Blessed, and Runjeet, with multiple horses showing strong recent form and potential.
Patch Of Stars, ridden by Karis Teetan, won the Group Three Sha Tin Vase at Sha Tin on Sunday, narrowly defeating Raging Blizzard. This marks the horse's fourth win of the season and a significant step up in class.
Danny Shum Chap-shing took a two-win lead over Caspar Fownes in the Hong Kong trainers' championship after securing a double at Sha Tin on Sunday. Fownes also had a win at Sha Tin, while Hayes kept his slim title hopes alive. Alexis Badel also achieved a brace of wins.
Romantic Warrior secured the Triple Crown title by winning the Group One Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup at Sha Tin. Jockey James McDonald received a three-meeting ban for careless riding.
Jockey James McDonald is confident in Romantic Warrior's chances of securing Hong Kong's Triple Crown in the Champions & Chater Cup. The champion galloper aims for a perfect season, having won all previous starts this year, and McDonald believes he is well-prepared despite the increased distance.
Hugh Bowman has a strong book of all-weather rides at Sha Tin on Wednesday that includes the consistent Aurora Patch, before he takes the reins on Japanese raider Rousham Park on May 26 in the Group One Champions and Chater Cup (2,400m) The Hiroyasu Tanaka-trained galloper is a Group Two winner and was a placegetter in the 2024 Group One Osaka Hai (2,000m) and 2024 Group One Breeders’ Cup Turf (2,400m) before running fifth in December’s Group One Hong Kong Cup (2,000m). Bowman is buoyed by the...
Francis Lui Kin-wai secured a Sha Tin double with Turquoise Velocity and Baby Sakura, moving to 45 wins in fifth place in what is shaping as an exciting trainers' championship race. Mark Newnham leads with 51 wins from Caspar Fownes (50), Danny Shum Chap-shing (50) and David Hayes (48). Turquoise Velocity won the Class Three Beijing Clubhouse Handicap while Baby Sakura scored in the Class Three Shenzhen Centre Handicap. Hugh Bowman is booked to ride Japan's Rousham Park against Hong Kong champion Romantic Warrior in the Group One Champions & Chater Cup on May 24.
Romantic Thor, trained by Danny Shum Chap-shing and ridden by Matthew Poon Ming-fai, won the Group Three Queen Mother Memorial Cup (2,400m) at Sha Tin on Sunday, leading throughout from barrier two with bottom weight of 116lb to beat Gentlemen Legacy by half a length. The five-year-old son of Justify, previously trained by Aidan O'Brien in Europe, secured his first Group Three victory while carrying the lightest weight in the seven-horse field. The win sets up a potential clash with stablemate Romantic Warrior in the Group One Champions & Chater Cup on May 24.
Andrea Atzeni is looking forward to pairing up with a trio of smart horses for the first time at Sha Tin on Sunday, including last season’s Champion Griffin Sky Jewellery in the Class Two Members Cup (1,600m). A three-time winner from five starts last season, John Size’s exciting galloper was unable to make the track for his intended return at the back end of last year after bleeding in a November barrier trial. He made up for lost time in no uncertain terms when he did get back to the races,...
Frankie Lor is hoping Stormy Grove can continue his upward trajectory in Sunday's Class Two Members Cup (1,600m) at Sha Tin, believing the four-year-old is close to Group One level. The Classic Cup winner finished third in the Hong Kong Derby and was third reserve for the Champions Mile. Lor also runs Smart Golf (seeking a hat-trick) and veteran staker Money Catcher in his final season, while Galaxy Patch has transferred to Brett Crawford's stable.
Ka Ying Rising's 20th consecutive victory in the Group One Chairman's Sprint Prize has positioned the Hong Kong champion sprinter for a rating surge to at least 130 in the next Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings. The David Hayes-trained superstar, currently rated 128 as the world's highest-rated horse, broke track records in both the Sprint Cup and Chairman's Sprint Prize, prompting Jockey Club officials to predict he will surpass his current mark when the interim rankings release on May 14.
Derek Leung Ka-chun is set for a blockbuster FWD Champions Day at Sha Tin on Sunday, riding Lucky Sweynesse in the Champions Mile and Numbers in the QEII Cup. The 37-year-old jockey, a two-time Group One winner, is bullish about Lucky Sweynesse's chances after the horse's impressive comeback from left fore fetlock surgery, including a recent Group Two Chairman's Trophy win. He faces stiff competition from My Wish and Japanese challenger Jantar Mantar.
British challengers Royal Champion and Docklands had their first canters at Sha Tin on Wednesday ahead of Group One targets, with Royal Champion set to face Hong Kong's Romantic Warrior and Japan's Masquerade Ball in the QEII Cup. Meanwhile, Japan's June Take was pulled up during workout by Joao Moreira but was reported fine after veterinary examination.
