The second big international meeting of the Hong Kong racing season, the April 28 FWD Champions Day, is a little short on top-flight foreign visitors, leaving center stage to some local stars who have made a splash this season on the international scene.
The program also includes the return from a long break of reigning three-time Hong Kong Horse of the Year Golden Sixty and a showdown between one of those established champions and an impressive newcomer.
The card includes the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) at 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles), the Champions Mile (G1), and the Chairman's Sprint Prize (G1) at 1,200 meters. It's the seasonal bookend of the Longines Hong Kong International Races in December.
Golden Sixty Returns for Champions Mile
Golden Sixty, holder of just about all important Hong Kong records, lines up for the Champions Mile off a 140-day layoff. His only previous start in the 2023-24 season was in the Hong Kong Mile (G1) in December, off an even longer break. He rallied boldly through the stretch to post a dramatic victory in that.
Despite the layoff and in the face of some quality opposition, trainer Francis Lui says his warrior has hit form just in time to seek his fourth straight win in the Champions Mile. But he is keeping an eye on the Sha Tin Racecourse turf after a week of heavy rains in Hong Kong. Golden Sixty has raced on off going just once, finishing third.
There has been no announcement about further plans for the 8-year-old, holder of just about all of Hong Kong's important records. But Liu sounded as if retirement might be near, saying April 25, "He's brought a lot of fun for us—the whole team. There won't be another one like him."
Romantic Warrior Out to Defend Title in QEII Cup
The Queen Elizabeth II Cup provides a juicy showdown between up-and-comer Massive Sovereign, who steps into the top ranks for the first time, and Romantic Warrior, whose six group 1 victories include Australia's iconic Cox Plate (G1) last autumn.
Massive Sovereign, a No Nay Never gelding, burst on the Hong Kong scene March 3 with an unheard-of domination of his first local race, going 2,000 meters. He even more improbably backed that up with a win in his next start, the Hong Kong Derby, defeating the best of the local 4-year-olds. Now he tries to show that third time's an even bigger charm.
And he will have to do it against one of Hong Kong's best, an in-form Romantic Warrior, who has notched two local group 1 wins since returning from the Cox Plate triumph. Trainer Danny Shum already is looking ahead with Romantic Warrior, who is nominated for the Yasuda Kinen (G1) June 2 at Tokyo Racecourse.
Massive Sovereign, trained by Dennis Yip, put in his final trial for the race April 19 at Happy Valley Racecourse with jockey Zac Purton returning with thumbs up.
Purton said the QEII Cup "is an opportunity to see how he stacks up against those horses. There was nowhere else for him to go, so he has to take that step and hopefully he's able to. ... On ratings, he's a long way off them but he's only at the start of his career and the other horses have been around for a while."
California Spangle Headlines Chairman's Sprint Prize
The Chairman's Sprint Prize features California Spangle, who seems to have found new life at the distance as demonstrated by his last-race win in the Al Quoz Sprint (G1) in Dubai. But trainer Tony Cruz also has an eye on the weather and course conditions.
"A good track, we all know he can perform and we don't want a wet track to gamble on," Cruz said, adding the Sha Tin turf "really is amazing compared to any track in the world. No matter how much rain there is, it can turn out to be a very good track, still."
If the conditions are more challenging, it could work to the benefit of Japanese raider Mad Cool, who won the Takamatsunomiya Kinen (G1) on a soggy Chukyo Racecourse in his last start.
