By Alan Carasso
The Longines Hong Kong International Races, offering a whopping HK$84.5 million (about US$10.8 million) across its four races, is upon us and here are some of the stories to keep an eye on.
Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) provided trainer Aidan O'Brien with his first winner in Hong Kong in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase two years ago and was just defeated last December. The world traveler makes his final trip to the races in search of a seventh career top-level success and one that would give O'Brien a record-setting 28th Group 1 win on the season. Win or lose, O'Brien is grateful for Highland Reel's efforts.
“Highland Reel has been an incredible horse for us,” O'Brien told the HKJC notes team's Alastair Donald. “He has so many qualities. He enjoys what he does, he has shown himself to be a great traveller, he's clean-winded and a joy to have trained. He'll be hard to replace.”
In the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint, Hong Kong's top-rated runner Mr Stunning (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) was the odds-on favourite overnight over Lucky Bubbles (Aus) (Sebring {Aus}). Mr Stunning is trained by John Size, who registered a record 94 wins during the 2016/2017 season in Hong Kong, but has just one winner from 37 starters on HKIR day (Glorious Days {Aus}, 2013 Mile). Lucky Bubbles's rider Hugh Bowman was named the Longines World's Best Jockey in Hong Kong Friday evening, but missing from his resume is an HKIR victory. He has been shut out from 11 mounts with three minor placings.
As has been well-documented, no European-based sprinter has gone close in the Sprint, much less win it. Signs of Blessing (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and The Right Man (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) will try to snap that streak as decided outsiders.
Joao Moreira won his first G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile aboard former Horse of the Year Able Friend (Aus) (Shamardal) in 2014, and while Seasons Bloom (Aus) (Captain Sonador {Aus}) is not in that rarefied air, he's a horse on the rise and could be the one in an open heat. Trainer Danny Shum has saddled nine horses at the international meeting but remains without a placing.
“I think from four years old to five years old he has become a more mature horse, so hopefully he can now be more consistent. I think he can win the race on Sunday,” Shum told the HKJC's David Morgan.
John Moore has sent better than 100 horses into the HKIR and has six tallies, but is winless since 2014. The Australian handler has nominated Werther (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) as the stable's best chance at a winner Sunday in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup and a victory would be a first at the meeting for stable jockey Tommy Berry. Japanese raiders have won the last two runnings of the Cup with A Shin Hikari (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Maurice (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}) and have three chances this time around, the strongest of which on paper is Neorealism (Jpn) (Neo Universe {Jpn}). He is already a Group 1 winner over course and distance, having beaten Werther into third in the QE II Cup this past April.
The stage is set. The curtain rises at 2 p.m. local time Sunday.
(Click for TDN's Longines Hong Kong International Races special edition).
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