Champions Day at Sha Tin Racecourse lost its marquee star, Romantic Warrior, to the rich Middle Eastern races this year but makes up for the absence with three competitive international group 1 heats.
Two other stellar locals, Voyage Bubble and Ka Ying Rising, carry on, but international visitors loom large in all of the April 27 races—an unusual state of affairs in a venue where the home team always performs well.
Romantic Warrior won the featured Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) on Champions Day in each of the past three seasons and strung together a seven-race winning streak at Sha Tin. He would have been extremely well fancied to extend those records had his connections not opted for a courageous Middle Eastern tour that found him winning the Jebel Hatta (G1T) in Dubai in January, then finishing second by agonizingly small margins in both the Saudi Cup (G1) and Dubai Turf (G1T).
With the champ done for the season, the 2,000-meter (about 1 1/4-mile) QE II Cup attracted a strong international subscription from around the globe.
Japan sends Prognosis, second to Romantic Warrior in this race in each of the last two runnings; star filly Liberty Island, a last-out eighth in the Dubai Turf; and 2023 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1) winner Tastiera.
From France comes Goliath, winner of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) last summer at Ascot and a respectable sixth in November's Japan Cup (G1). Calif carries the red-and-white stripes of Victorious Racing and New Zealand is represented by El Vencedor, seeking his fifth straight win.
On form, the home team is outgunned. Cap Ferrat won the Hong Kong Derby in his last start, but that was his first win ever in his 17th start. Ensued, Straight Arron, Moments In Time, and Rubylot all have had moments, but not yet against the likes of these visitors.
Champions Mile
Hong Kong forces would seem to be in much better shape in the Champions Mile (G1) with Voyage Bubble looking for his fourth straight top-level win at Sha Tin. That skein includes December's Hong Kong Mile (G1), in which he defeated Soul Rush by 1 1/4 lengths. Soul Rush then nipped Romantic Warrior by a nose in the Dubai Turf.
The itch in the hitch comes in the form of Mr Brightside, Australia's premier miler. His 19 career wins include nine at the group 1 level and he was second in the 2023 Cox Plate (G1)—behind Romantic Warrior.
The Mile boasts a big field with some serious early speed from local runner Beauty Eternal, who led gate to wire in last year's running but is winless since. Iowa-bred Chancheng Glory has improved and led most of the way in the Hong Kong Gold Cup (G1) two starts back before finishing third. Joao Moreira takes the reins.
Chairman's Sprint Prize
A similar situation arises in the Chairman's Sprint Prize (G1).
Ka Ying Rising is not only a local sensation, boasting 12 wins from 14 starts, with three of the last four wins coming in group 1s. He's also the highest-rated sprinter in the Longines World's Best Racehorse rankings and hasn't really been seriously challenged in his last three outings. He easily won an April 17 barrier trial over the Sha Tin dirt track, and trainer David Hayes said, after drawing gate 4, Ka Ying Rising could break his own Sha Tin course record of 1:07.20 for the 1,200 meters (about six furlongs) if there is enough early speed in the race.
"If he flies the start, he might lead and take it up. If he jumps with them he'll probably box seat behind some obvious pace," Hayes said. "But that's really (jockey) Zac Purton's problem now. And he'll have it worked out. He gets it done on the big days so I'm not worried at all.
"He can take a sit or lead, either way."
His main rival is Satono Reve, who finished third behind Ka Ying Rising in the Hong Kong Sprint (G1) in December and was the last-out winner of the Takamatsunomiya Kinen (G1). Satono Reve is a son of Lord Kanaloa, whose six top-level victories included two editions of the Hong Kong Sprint.
Satono Reve galloped April 21 and work rider Ryusuke Saito said he is "progressing well. We've been adjusting with a focus on balancing his mental and physical condition. He's full of energy."
The Sprint field also includes two other intriguing locals. Lucky Sweynesse (NZ ) was a sensation two seasons back, peaking with a win in the 2023 Hong Kong Sprint, but has been hampered by injury. And Helios Express has posted five seconds and a third from his last six starts—all in races won by Ka Ying Rising.
