Chairman’s Sprint Prize Gets Upgrade

In light of last week’s news of the cancellation of Singapore’s two international Group 1 features, the Hong Kong Jockey Club announced Sunday that the Chairman’s Sprint Prize has been raised to international Group 1 status from local Group 1 status by the International Grading and Race Planning Advisory Committee (IRPAC). The 1200-meter event, which has been won by the likes of champions Silent Witness (Aus), Fairy King Prawn (Aus), Sacred Kingdom (Aus) and Lucky Nine (Ire), will fill the gap created by the loss of the G1 KrisFlyer International Sprint. The Chairman’s Sprint Prize, the final leg of the Hong Kong Speed Series, will be pushed back from its original run date of Apr. 24, 2016 to May 1, 2016, and will be the co-featured event on a program also including the G1 Champions Mile.

“The Chairman’s Sprint Prize has a storied recent history and the race’s consistently high ratings meant that it met the criteria for international Group 1 status,” said Bill Nader, executive director of racing for the Hong Kong Jockey Club. “As it was slated to take place in the last week of April 2016, moving the race to a slot a week later, to fit more closely with the Singapore race’s previous mid-May position, was not difficult. We are excited that Hong Kong’s world class spring program has been further enhanced in this way.”

The upgrade gives Hong Kong its 11th international Group 1 race. Prior to the 2014/2015 season, the jurisdiction played host to the four Group 1 races that comprise the Hong Kong Internationals in December in addition to the Queen Elizabeth II Cup in April and the Champions Mile. That number was increased by four last season with the addition of the Stewards’ Cup (1600m), the Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m), the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m) and the Champions and Chater Cup (2400m) as international Group 1 tests.

“We are thrilled to announce that the Chairman’s Sprint Prize is now Hong Kong’s 11th international Group 1 race,” said Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s chief executive officer. “The loss of the KrisFlyer International Sprint left a significant void in the Group 1 sprint program, particularly here in Asia. Following our application, we appreciate the swift action of the Asian Pattern Committee and IRPAC to recognize the exceptional and unforeseen circumstances by promoting the Chairman’s Sprint Prize to the highest level.”