Golden Sixty

Hong Kong is the December place to be for world-class horseracing and Sunday's Longines Hong Kong International Races--offering some HK$130 million (£12.5 million/US$16.7 million) across four races--has once again attracted a veritable who's who from a variety of racing jurisdictions. In a real racing rarity, each of the winners from last year's meeting returns to Sha Tin and each has realistic chances to repeat the dose. Indeed, it would be a complete shock if two of the four--Romantic Warrior (Acclamation) and Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress)--fail to deliver in the HK$40-million...

To adapt Shakespeare on Cleopatra: "age cannot wither him, nor custom stale his infinite variety." To be enjoying an Indian summer like this, however, Medaglia d'Oro has had to stem what often proves an inexorable tide once a stallion enters the evening of his career. For the ageism so common among breeders can be self-fulfilling. Any stallion still operating at 26 must have shown an unequivocal prowess over the years. That being so, however, he will typically have produced fashionable sons to erode his own market share. And once enough...

The story of the legendary three-times Hong Kong Horse of the Year Golden Sixty (Aus) could scarcely be more international in nature. The bay was produced by an American-bred daughter of Distorted Humor who was raced to Group 2 success in Ireland, was sold on to Australian interests and was subsequently bred to the outstanding Medaglia d'Oro, who was on his dual-hemisphere missions at the time. Sold as a yearling on the Gold Coast in Queensland and as a ready-to-run prospect in New Zealand, Golden Sixty plied his trade in...

5th-FG, $58K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 3:45 p.m. ET. TANTI AUGURI (Quality Road) makes her debut for an ownership group which includes breeders Anthony Manganaro and Iapetus Racing. Trained by Cherie DeVaux, the homebred's dam is On My Way (Giant's Causeway), who has nine foals to her credit and four winners out of five to race. The first-time starter hails from an extended female family which includes Hong Kong hegemonic hero and recent retiree Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro). Also slated for the starting gate is Twin Creeks Racing's...

Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro--Gaudeamus, by Distorted Humor), a three-time Horse of the Year and 10-times Group 1 winner in Hong Kong, has officially been retired from racing, owner Stanley Chan announced Friday at the Sha Tin stables of the gelding's trainer Francis Lui. "Golden Sixty has been more than just a racehorse to me and my family; he has been a companion, a friend, and a true champion," said Chan. "Watching him compete has been one of the greatest joys of my life. "I want to thank everyone who...

Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), winner of five Group 1 races in three different jurisdictions in 2023-2024, was named Hong Kong's Horse of the Year during a black-tie ceremony held Friday evening in the Grand Ballroom of the Rosewood Hotel in Hong Kong. The human connections of the champion 4-year-old and two-time champion middle distance horse--owner Peter Lau and trainer Danny Shum--made the G1 W S Cox Plate their early-season objective and the 300,000gns Tattersalls October graduate was a sound fourth in the G1 Turnbull Stakes at Flemington before willing...

The Goodman family's Mt. Brilliant Farm went to A$1-million (US$667,900) for a Wootton Bassett (GB) half-sister to the Hong Kong star Golden Sixty (Medaglia d'Oro) at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale Tuesday. "We love the filly, she's got a beautiful pedigree and she's by Wootton Bassett. It doesn't come any better than that and we are thrilled," said Hutton Goodman. The operation is no stranger to the Australian industry with several mares located in the Hunter Valley. "It is hard to buy yearlings like her and she...

HONG KONG, CHINA -- Relentless rains in Hong Kong's New Territories over the last week gave way to a rare dry day on Saturday, offering a sliver of hope that Sunday's FWD Champions Day meeting might take place on a surface that was sufficiently sound or at least drying out so as to leave a reasonably even playing field. The precipitation was back in the overnight hours on Sunday, never really more than a steady shower, but enough to turn the Sha Tin turf officially yielding. Three-time Hong Kong Horse...

HONG KONG, CHINA -- According to the Hong Kong Observatory, the city's weather forecast agency, about 230 millilitres of rain had fallen between the first of the year and Apr. 25. Of that amount, fully 200 mls have been recorded since the first of this month and the vast majority of that has occurred this week, as rain--at times heavy enough to completely obscure the top of the Sha Tin straight course--thunder and lightning have been just this side of relentless. The considerable precipitation has the connections of Hong Kong's...

HONG KONG, CHINA -- Follow this, if you will. A filly bred in America and purchased for a very reasonable sum as a yearling is exported to Ireland, punches above her weight at the races and is sold to Australia for her second career. A few years after her arrival, she is covered there by a notable successful Northern Hemisphere shuttle stallion, the resulting foal makes trips through the sales ring in Australia and New Zealand and goes on to become arguably the best animal to ever look through a...

When Stanley Chan's Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) faces the starter as the favorite in Sunday's G1 FWD Champions Mile at Sha Tin Racecourse--a race he has made his own over the last three seasons--there is a very real chance that he will be doing so for the final time in his career. And what an illustrious one it has been. The 8-year-old enters Sunday's contest with 26 victories from 30 start since first going to the races as a late-season Southern Hemisphere 3-year-old in March 2019. His earnings of...

A record 11 overseas-based gallopers, including Group 1 winners Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride of Dubai {Aus}) from Great Britain and Japan's Mad Cool (Jpn) (Dark Angel {Ire}), are among the 35 total horses invited to participate in the trio of races which comprise FWD Champions Day at Sha Tin Racecourse on Apr. 28. Trained by William Haggas, the globetrotting Dubai Honour pays a third visit to Hong Kong and will look to improve on his performance from 12 months ago, where he was a low-odds third behind the re-opposing, three-peat...