Photo:

Alex Evers / Eclipse Sportswire

British trainer Ralph Beckett admits local star Ka Ying Rising looks an “absolute monster” but is relishing the chance to take him on in the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint with sensational Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Starlust.

Beckett is familiar with the city’s racing landscape, having trained for some of its most prominent owners, and Muhannak and Chemical Charge represented him ably in the Hong Kong Vase (G1) in 2008 and 2017.

This time he will be targeting sprint honors on Dec. 8, and the trainer is confident Sha Tin’s right-handed track will bring out the best in Starlust.

“The horse has come out of California in good shape,” he said. “Whether he’s good enough to get competitive is another thing, but he’ll be very well suited by the nature of Sha Tin.

“His best form is around a bend and on a flat track, like at York, Del Mar and Santa Anita, so I’m looking forward to taking him. I haven’t had many runners at the meeting, but I’ve been lucky to train for some good people who are based there.”

Starlust put up a career-best effort when weaving through runners to make his Group 1 breakthrough at Del Mar this month, a performance that went some way to convincing owners Jim and Fitri Hay to supplement him for the Hong Kong International Races.

Beckett is keen to strike while the iron is hot, although he admits being blown away by what the race’s likely favorite Ka Ying Rising achieved in the Jockey Club Sprint (G2) on Nov. 17, when he lowered the track record in emphatic style.

Other possible contenders include the Hong Kong hotshots California Spangle, Invincible Sage and Victor The Winner, as well as Japan’s Lugal and Nobals, trained by Larry Rivelli and winner of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.

“In these situations you have to look into the opposition,” Beckett said. “Ka Ying Rising looked like a monster the other day, but inevitably you have to run your horse where you think suits him best.

“He’s a Group 1 winner, and if we pass up the opportunity to run in Hong Kong we’ve got a long time to wait until conditions are on his side again.”

Starlust has enjoyed only two short breaks during his 18-race career, which includes a third in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and two placings at the Dubai Carnival, but Beckett believes his unproblematic mentality and aptitude for international travel will stand him in good stead.

“He showed when he went to Santa Anita as a 2-year-old how much he thrived traveling, and the same happened this year. He’s very straightforward to train, so I wouldn’t be concerned about how long he’s been on the go. He enjoys the challenge,” he said.

There is a notable stat standing in the way of success for Starlust because a British-trained challenger never has won the Hong Kong Sprint. That trend continued when the multiple Group 1 winner Highfield Princess finished sixth of 10 runners last year.

“It’s difficult to know why British horses haven’t succeeded in the race,” Beckett said. “Hong Kong is the last roll of the dice of the year, and perhaps that’s got something to do with it. European sprinters haven’t been as good as Australian and Hong Kong sprinters down the years.

“However, it doesn’t always work out like that as Gold-Fun, who was very successful in Hong Kong, came out of Ger Lyons’s stable in Ireland. I don’t think we’ve been taking the right horses, or it’s been at the wrong time.”

Perhaps now it will be Starlust’s time to shine.