1 of 2 | Romantic Warrior, shown winning an October barrier trial, shoot for a “three-peat” in Sunday’s Group 1 Longines Hong Kong Cup. Photo courtesy of Hong Kong Jockey Club
HONG KONG, Dec. 6 (UPI) — Hong Kong’s biggest day of the year dominates the weekend horse racing schedule with support from some big 2-year-old races from New York to Japan.
And, continuing the international theme, the Cigar Mile at Aqueduct has two horses who were star performers in February in Saudi Arabia.
Quickly, to the detail:
Hong Kong
Some of the names have changed, but the basic premise of Sunday’s Longines Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin Racecourse remains the same: a powerful lineup of local horses presenting a formidable defense in the four Group 1 races against a diverse international raiding squad.
The brightest star is Hong Kong’s reigning Horse of the Year, Romantic Warrior.
The 6-year-old gelding has won the Longines Hong Kong Cup twice among his 16 local victories, traveled to win last year’s Group 1 Cox Plate in Australia and this year’s Group 1 Yasuda Kinen in Japan and is poised to break many of Hong Kong’s most important records.
And regular rider James McDonald said just before the Thursday barrier draw that Romantic Warrior is getting better.
“He’s just a perfect racehorse,” McDonald said. “He’s got gate speed. He’s got sustained speed. I just really enjoy riding him. He’s won six in a row in three different countries. It would be fitting if he could go down as one of the best ever on the Sha Tin (Racecourse) turf.”
Assuming all goes well Sunday, owner Peter Lau Pak Fai and trainer Danny Shum are planning to take Romantic Warrior to Saudi Arabia for the $20 million Group 1 Saudi Cup in February, which would be his first spin on a dirt course.
Standing in his way in the Hong Kong Cup are Japan’s Liberty Island, a 4-year-old who won last year’s fillies’ Triple Crown and finished second to international Horse of the Year Equinox in the Grade I Japan Cup.
Also providing competition is a pair of 3-year-old fillies from trainer Aidan O’Brien‘s Coolmore string in Ireland – Content and Wingspan. Both finished out of the money in Breeders’ Cup turf races last month at Del Mar.
The Longines Hong Kong Sprint features a rising star appropriately named Ka Ying Rising.
The 4-year-old has won seven straight races while moving up the class ladder to the BOCHK Jockey Club Sprint (G2) in his most recent effort. In that race, he broke the course record, while not being asked for anything like his best effort by jockey Zac Purton, who celebrated early.
“Zac doesn’t often kiss the camera with 100 meters to go,” trainer David Hayes said. “And then to break the record anyway ….”
It’s challenging to find a likely challenger for the big race.
England’s Starlust won the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on Nov. 2, but the 3-year-old’s previous best was a third in the Nunthorpe Stakes (G1) at York August. California Spangle has taken his own star turns locally, but has been off his feed in recent efforts.
The only American-trained horse set to run Sunday, 2023 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Nobals, was scratched from the Sprint on Thursday when blood work showed a fever and that a possible infection had not cleared up. Nobals would have been the first U.S. runner in any of the HKIR races since 2017.
The Longines Hong Kong Mile and Longines Hong Kong Vase lack the singular stars of the other races, but certainly offer excellent and competitive fields.
The Mile features the first five finishers from the local prep race. They defend against Japan’s Soul Rush and Jantar Mantar, France’s Lazzat and Australia’s Antino. Others have chances, too.
The Vase might revolve around the performance of Luxembourg, another Irish runner trained by O’Brien.
A year ago, he came within a nose of beating Romantic Warrior in the Cup at 2,000 meters and now stretches out to 2,400 meters. He’s had experience at the distance and won’t face anything as tough as Romantic Warrior.
But at age 5 and just this race short of retirement, the question is whether he still has enough in the tank.
Japan
The standout in Sunday’s Grade 1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies is an American filly, May Day Ready, who reports with a record of three wins from four starts in her home country. And the loss was a second-place finish behind only European star filly Lake Victoria in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.
The wins include the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies Stakes and the Grade II Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland. She’s earned more than $1 million.
The Kentucky-bred daughter of Tapit faces a field of Japanese fillies who have demonstrated plenty of promise, but lack much experience. Run for Vow is a Grade 2 winner and Brown Ratchet has won at the Grade 3 level.
Meanwhile, back in the States:
Classic / Dirt Mile
Way back on Feb. 24 in Riyadh, Senor Buscador won the $20 million Saudi Cup at King Abdulaaziz Racecourse while Book’em Danno just barely missed to subsequent international superstar Forever Young.
They will meet in a fascinating renewal of Saturday’s $500,000 Grade II Cigar Mile at Aqueduct.
Senor Buscador went on to finish third in the Dubai World Cup, but has struggled in his last three starts back home, albeit against top-flight rivals. Book’em Danno has performed better against arguably easier foes and appears on his toes for this.
The one to beat, though, might be Mullikin, whose four-race win streak was snapped with a third as the favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint
Distaff
Eight nice fillies and mares line up for Saturday’s $200,000 Grade III Go for Wand at Aqueduct, a one-turn mile without a clear favorite.
Juvenile
Keewaydin tops the morning line for Saturday’s $250,000 Grade II Remsen at Aqueduct. The Instagrand colt has had only two starts and one win, but the victory earned a 91 Beyer Speed Figure. He also is one of two saddled by Chad Brown. Still, look ’em all over.
Saturday’s $125,000 Inaugural at Tampa Bay Downs has a field of eight to go 6 furlongs.
Juvenile Fillies
Muhimma, a Munnings filly from Brad Cox‘s barn, is the odds-on favorite on the morning line for Saturday’s $250,000 Grade II Demoiselle at Aqueduct. She’s 2-for-2 and untested with both starts at Churchill Downs.
Vodka With a Twist, second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, is the 5-2 morning-line pick in Saturday’s $200,000 Grade II Starlet at Los Alamitos. The daughter of Thousand Words faces six rivals, including Nooni, Tenma and Mawu from the Bob Baffert barn. It’s a tough field for an early Oaks prep.
Saturday’s $125,000 Sandpiper at Tampa Bay Downs drew a well-matched field of nine, and six, including even-money favorite Border Patrol, are in for Saturday’s $75,000 Golden Gate Debutante at Pleasanton.
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