Longines Hong Kong International Races

The connections of the half-dozen European raiders among a field of 11 for Sunday's HK$26-million Longines Hong Kong Vase (2400m) will have been mostly pleased with the outcome of the barrier draw, which was held in the state-of-the-art parade ring at Sha Tin Racecourse Thursday morning. Resolute Racing and Baron Philip Von Ullman's Goliath (Adlerflug) makes a second trip across to Hong Kong in the space of eight months, having finished a disappointing ninth to Tastiera (Jpn) (Satono Crown {Jpn}) at a fairly short price in the G1 FWD QE...

Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong, post time: 4:40 p.m., LONGINES HONG KONG CUP-G1, HK$40,000,000, 3yo/up, 2000mT Field: Romantic Warrior (Jpn) (Acclamation {GB}), Bellagio Opera (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), Rousham Park (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}), Galen (GB) (Gleneagles {Ire}), Straight Arron (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), Chancheng Glory (Mor Spirit), Quisisana (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}). Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong, post time: 4:00 p.m., LONGINES HONG KONG MILE-G1, HK$36,000,000, 3yo/up, 1600mT Field: Soul Rush (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}), Voyage Bubble (Aus) (Deep Field {Aus}), Docklands (GB) (Massaat {Ire}), Beauty Joy (Aus) (Sebring {Aus}), Galaxy...

A total of 33 UK and Irish raiders--including 2024 G1 Hong Kong Vase hero Giavellotto (Mastercraftsman), and G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe second Minnie Hauk (Frankel)--are among the entries for the Longines Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) at Sha Tin on Sunday, December 14. Offering record prize-money of HK130 million (£12.7 million), the race day has drawn 185 horses--70 of them top-level winners for the four Group 1 races. Can Europe Secure The Cup? In the HK$40-million (£3.9 million) Longines Hong Kong Cup over 2000 meters, Aidan O'Brien has...

Speed star Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) broke ground as the first international horse to win the G1 The Everest Saturday at Royal Randwick, and the connections have already gone on record in saying that they'd like to bring him back for a defense of his crown next year. Now with 15 wins from 17 starts, and unbeaten in his last 14 jumps, Ka Ying Rising put doubts on his ability to rest when comfortably cruising home in the world's richest turf race despite not being at his personal best. Immediately...

A total of 69,916 racegoers flooded Sha Tin, with Happy Valley drawing an additional 10,775, to bring the total attendees for the Longines Hong Kong International Races to 80,691. It is the highest attendance number since 2018. "I personally think it was one of the best, if not the best, Longines Hong Kong International Races and an incredible week," said the HKJC's chief executive officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges. "Starting with the Longines International Jockeys' Championship, it was an amazing success. Today, we hoped to create a highlight and I personally think...

One of the more remarkable characteristics of Hong Kong racing is that for a jurisdiction that is home to roughly 1,200 Thoroughbreds, invariably the torch gets passed and the town is never wanting for world-class athletes. Going back to the turn of the century, gallopers to have captured the imagination of not only those in and around Hong Kong, but also of an increasingly sophisticated worldwide audience have included the likes of Fairy King Prawn (Aus), the legendary Silent Witness (Aus), Good Ba Ba, Vengeance of Rain (NZ), Ambitious Dragon...

New Zealander James McDonald has won the 2024 Longines World's Best Jockey title with 160 points, the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) announced on Wednesday. McDonald previously won the award in 2022. There was a margin of just 10 points back to Englishman Ryan Moore at 150. Moore, a four-time winner of the title, was clear of William Buick in third with 105 points. A ceremony will be held during a gala dinner of the Longines Hong Kong International Races at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre to...

Regular rider James McDonald has issued a positive bulletin on Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) ahead of his bid for a historic third consecutive win in the HK$40 million G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin on Sunday, December 8. California Memory (Highest Honor {Fr}) is the only other dual winner of the Hong Kong Cup in 2011 and 2012, which means Romantic Warrior would be out on his own as the most successful horse in the race's history should he repeat his 2022 and 2023 triumphs at the...

All 12 Hong Kong Group 1 contests during the 2024/2025 season will be part of World Pool, the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) announced on Thursday. This is the first time races in Hong Kong have been incorporated into the World Pool schedule. Hong Kong will become the ninth jurisdiction to host World Pool races, joining the UK, Ireland, Germany, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Australia and Argentina. Over 25 jurisdictions and 70 partners bet into both the Hong Kong pools and World Pool and, in season...

A total of 56 horses from eight racing jurisdictions--some 26 of which have struck at the Group 1/Grade I level--including 31 overseas gallopers, have been extended invitations to the Longines Hong Kong International Races, to be staged Sunday, Dec. 8 at Sha Tin Racecourse. With Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire})--a top-level winner in Hong Kong earlier this season and last seen taking out the GI Breeders' Cup Turf--passing the meeting, Resolute Racing's Goliath (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) is the biggest name among those invited from abroad. The on-the-bridle winner of the...

Reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) and emerging sprint star Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) laid down their markers for the Longines Hong Kong International Races meeting in three weeks' time with arrogant victories in Sunday's G2 BOCHK Jockey Club Cup and G2 BOCHK Private Banking Jockey Club Sprint at Sha Tin Racecourse, respectively. The second-named saw the 1200-metre course record, held for the last 17 years by the outstanding Sacred Kingdom (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}), come tumbling down in a sublime...

The number of horses nominated to run at the 2024 edition of the Longines Hong Kong International Races has been boosted to 193 after the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) announced Celestial Legend (Aus) (Dundeel {NZ}) and Sol Oriens (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}), trained in Australia and Japan, respectively, as supplementary entries on Thursday. Celestial Legend and Sol Oriens join the all-star cast of nominations revealed on Wednesday ahead of the flagship meeting which takes place at Sha Tin on Sunday, December 8, with elite performers such as Romantic Warrior...