Rachel King

Costa Nova Lands February Stakes For Lord Kanaloa

Jockey Rachel King and Costa Nova (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) partnered in Tokyo's G1 February Stakes on Sunday, and came away the three-quarter length winners over Sunrise Zipangu (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}). King is the first female jockey to win a race at the highest tier in Japan. The February Stakes is a "Win and You're In" for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic this autumn. Positioned in the first third of the strung-out field, the 3-1 shot followed in the wake of Mitono O (Jpn) (Logotype {Jpn}). That rival carried them...

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Rachel King Creates History In Japan With Breakthrough Grade 1 Success

Rachel King made history in Japan on Sunday when she became the first female jockey to partner a Grade 1 winner in the country when she guided Costa Nova (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) to victory in the February Stakes at Tokyo. King rode six winners as an amateur in Britain between 2009 and 2013. She has gone on to become something of a globetrotting sensation and even rode a winner in the final leg in the International Jockeys' Challenge at Riyadh on the opening night of the Saudi Cup meeting...

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Luxor Cafe Makes a Statement In Hyacinth

Luxor Cafe (American Pharoah) held off a late surge from the slow-starting and previously unbeaten Promised Gene (Jpn) (Nadal) to take out Sunday's $244,745 Listed Hyacinth Stakes over the one-turn mile at Tokyo Racecourse. The victory was good for 30 points on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby in a race that was won by the colt's champion full-brother Cafe Pharoah some five years ago. The $1.80 (4-5) favorite had the services of Rachel King, runner-up in Friday's International Jockeys' Challenge in Saudi Arabia, and was away fairly before...

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James McDonald to Ride in the Saudi Cup International Jockeys' Challenge

Recently-crowned Longines World's Best Jockey James McDonald has been confirmed in the line-up for the 2025 International Jockeys' Challenge (IJC) at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh on Friday, February 21. It will mark the first time the globetrotting New Zealander, who has ridden 106 Group 1 winners in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Britain and Japan, has competed in Saudi Arabia. McDonald's participation in the IJC will also give him valuable experience of the Riyadh track, the day before bidding for glory aboard Hong Kong champion Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation...

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World's Top Riders Converge On Happy Valley For Longines IJC

A dozen of the best jockeys from all corners of the globe--four based locally and eight from overseas--come together Wednesday evening at Hong Kong's iconic Happy Valley Racecourse for the Longines International Jockeys' Championship. Widely recognized as the premier contest of its kind, the IJC carries total prize money of HK$1 million, to be divided up three ways, with the winner taking home a checque for HK$600,000, while the second- and third-place finishers earn HK$250,000 and HK$150,000, respectively. Vincent Ho, best known for his association with the now retired three-time...

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Moore and McDonald Join International Stars For IJC

A strong line up of jockeys have been announced for the 2024 Longines International Jockeys' Championship (IJC) at Happy Valley Racecourse on Wednesday, Dec. 4. The four races are worth a combined HK$7.5-million (£740,000) in prize-money, and there is a total prize fund of HK$1 million in bonus money for the most successful riders split three ways, with the winner set to receive HK$600,000, with HK$250,000 for second and HK$150,000 for third (£60,000, £25,000, and £15,000, respectively). Vincent Ho, who won this contest in 2023, and seven-time Hong Kong Champion...

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Shergar Cup Contender Jordan Electrics Chasing Eighth Win of 2024

It's usually the jockeys who dominate the headlines at Ascot's Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup fixture, but the Jim Goldie-trained Jordan Electrics (GB) will be well worth a few column inches of his own should the eight-year-old continue his remarkable winning sequence when he teams up with the British-born, Australian-based Rachel King in Saturday's 'Dash' run over five furlongs. When Jordan Electrics made his first appearance of 2024 at Musselburgh in April, he did so as an admirable sprinter--the sort of horse anybody would love to own as the winner...

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Heffernan, Loughnane and Vélon Feature Among Shergar Cup Participants

Multiple Classic winner Seamie Heffernan, Royal Ascot-winning teenager Billy Loughnane and French Group 1 scorer Marie Vélon are among the 12 jockeys today confirmed to ride in Saturday's Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup at Ascot. Nine countries will be represented across the four teams, while new ground is broken this year with an equal number of male and female jockeys for the first time in the history of the Shergar Cup. Vélon, the first French female jockey to win a French Group 1 race with her victory in the 2022...

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'Ho'-megrown Success In the Longines IJC

Jockey Vincent Ho made history Wednesday night at iconic Happy Valley Racecourse on Hong Kong Island, becoming the first 'homegrown' rider to take out the prestigious Longines International Jockeys' Championship. With a narrow victory over Zac Purton in the fourth and final leg of the series, Ho amassed a total of 20 points to Purton's 18, with Australia's Rachel King and the locally based South African Lyle Hewitson on 16 points. King was declared outright third, with her victory in the first leg of the competition and an additional third-place...

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'It Could All Happen Again': Marquand A Live Chance In IJC Title Defence

The Longines International Jockeys' Championship (IJC) is the premier event of its kind in the world, and with good reason, as it brings together 12 of the most-accomplished riders from all corners of the globe vying for the winner's share of the HK$800,000 (£81,120/$102,320) prizemoney on offer. The IJC, the true start of Longines Hong Kong International Races festivities, takes place annually at iconic Happy Valley Racecourse on Hong Kong Island, its tight turns and unique configuration offering up additional challenges, especially for jockeys based outside of Hong Kong. Britain's...

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