Hong Kong

Aerclub (Ire) (Charm Spirit {Ire}), two-for-two in his young career, is set for a new chapter in the Far East having been sold to race in Hong Kong. The €18,000 Osarus yearling--who was bought for 45,000 gns at the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up & HIT Sale in May last year--impressed in winning both his starts for Henry de Bromhead and owner Stephen McCarthy, beating Joseph O'Brien's subsequent dual winner Dune Of Pilat (Fr) (Medaglia d'Oro) on his racecourse bow at Dundalk in November. The grandson of G3 Prix Quincey heroine Ing...

The Hong Kong International Sale, during which the Hong Kong Jockey Club offers to its licensed owners the opportunity to purchase race-ready horses it has acquired at auction houses from either hemisphere, has been postponed for the second time due to the COVID-19 situation in the Special Administrative Region, South China Morning Post reported Monday. The sale typically takes place on the Friday before the BMW Hong Kong Derby in a cocktail-hour type setting in the parade ring at Sha Tin Racecourse. Officials at the HKJC tentatively rescheduled the event...

Sent off as the 11-2 fourth choice in a field of six for Sunday's Yau Ma Tei Plate, the first griffin race of the year in Hong Kong, Sunny Star (Flatter) flopped out of the gates, but came with a stinging rally inside the final 200 meters to open his account at first asking, defeating 6-5 favorite Smiling Face (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) by 2 1/4 lengths. Chancheng Prince (Carpe Diem) raced prominently throughout and stuck on gamely for third. Sunny Star hopped in the air just as the gates flew...

A pair of American-bred 3-year-olds are among a field of six entered for Sunday's Yau Ma Tei Plate, the season's first race restricted to 'griffins' going the 1000-meter trip down the straight course at Sha Tin Racecourse. A griffin is defined as a 2-year-old or 3-year-old horse which has been imported into Hong Kong without having raced previously. The better-fancied of the two colts, each trained by second-leading and BMW Hong Kong Derby-winning conditioner Francis Lui, is Sunny Star (Flatter), who was trading overnight as the 19-5 third choice. Bred...

Aethero (Aus) (Sebring {Aus}), narrowly beaten into third as the $1.50 (1-2) favourite when last seen in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint Dec. 8, makes his return to action in Sunday's G2 Sprint Cup at Sha Tin Racecourse. The hulking chestnut was perfect and untouched in three runs last season, but stubbed his toe when a keen third in his Class 2 debut over 1200m last October. He clocked :54.69 when taking out a five-furlong test 11 days later and walloped the jurisdictions best short-trackers in the G2 Jockey...

Racing at the Singapore Turf Club, which had already been reduced to once a week, could be called off from Apr. 7 through May 4 in accordance with guidelines issued by the Singapore government Apr. 3, suspending all non-essential workplaces during that period. Friday's program at Kranji Racecourse, held spectator-free for the second straight week, went ahead as scheduled, but live racing is set to be canceled Apr. 10, Apr. 17 and Apr. 24. Racing was also due to take place May 1 and 2. Earlier in the week, officials...

Coronavirus has had a major affect on horse racing all across the globe, forcing the temporary abandonment of racing in a handful of prominent racing states in America, as well as Britain, France, hard-hit Italy and South Korea, while other places soldier on in front of empty grandstands. Hong Kong lies roughly 700 miles due south of Wuhan, the widely accepted epicentre of the virus's outbreak, but owing to aggressive action by the government and a populace that adhered strictly to preventive measures, racing has been allowed to continue in...

As a result of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak in the country, all horse racing operations in South Korea will be suspended at least through Mar. 22. Alastair Middleton, an English racecaller for the Korean Racing Authority, reported the news in a tweet Wednesday. On Wednesday, Feb. 26, officials at the KRA announced that racing would cease in the country beginning Friday, Feb. 28 before the situation was reevaluated Mar. 9. A total of 12 meetings (including pony races) at the three KRA-owned facilities were to be canceled. An additional six...

by Alan Carasso Neither a minor temperature nor Sunday's 1800-metre trip proved a task too tall for the talented Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro), who was the recipient of a thinking-man's ride from the up-and-coming Vincent Ho and showed his customary electric turn of foot to add the Hong Kong Classic Cup to his prior victory in the Hong Kong Classic Mile. Now just once-beaten in 10 trips to the races, Golden Sixty can join the late Rapper Dragon (Aus) (Street Boss) as the only horses in history to sweep...

A field of 10 4-year-olds bred in either hemisphere line up for Sunday's HK$10-million Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m), a field in which the top-rated galloper has some questions to answer and is likely to play second fiddle--at least from a pari-mutuel standpoint-to a stable companion. Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) is rated on 112 entering this middle leg of the 4YO Classic series, having posted eight wins from his nine trips to the post to date. He is perfect in five runs this season, including a defeat of more...

by Richard Edmunds, courtesy TDNAusNZ Two-time Hong Kong Horse of the Year Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road to Rock {Aus}) and his long-time companion Zac Purton regained their rightful place with their eighth Group 1 victory in Sunday's Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup at Sha Tin, his third consecutive victory in the 1400-metre event. From relatively humble beginnings as an NZ$60,000 purchase at the 2014 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka, Beauty Generation first rose to prominence as a quality 3-year-old who placed in the G1 Rosehill Guineas and G2...

Champion Hong Kong stayer Exultant (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) can earn a long-awaited trip overseas with a strong performance in Sunday's G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) at Sha Tin Racecourse, with the US$6-million G1 Dubai Sheema Classic (2410m) on the horizon. Winner of the 2018 G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase (2400m), the horse formerly trained by Mick Halford as Irishcorrespondent landed this event, but focused on a domestic campaign that saw him close the season victoriously in the G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2400m). Third from a...