Hong Kong

Trainer John Size has won the Hong Kong Classic Cup, the second leg of the 4-year-old Triple Crown, no fewer than four times and he'll saddle two of the top fancies as he looks for his first victory in the race since Sun Jewellery (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) in 2011 Sunday afternoon at Sha Tin Racecourse. Helios Express (Aus) (Toronado {Ire}) is the lone member of the 14-strong field rated in triple figures (102), has won six of his eight lifetime starts and three of his last four. Drawn neatly in...

Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) became just the third horse since the turn of the century to capture each of the four 2000-metre features in Hong Kong, as he outbattled fellow BMW Hong Kong Derby winner Voyage Bubble (Aus) (Deep Field {Aus}) in an epic renewal of the G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup at Sha Tin Racecourse Sunday afternoon. The 6-year-old joins Vengeance of Rain (NZ) and Designs on Rome (Ire) as the only horses since 2000 to win the Derby, Gold Cup, G1 FWD QE II Cup and...

Seven times has Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) gone to post over the 2000 metres at Sha Tin Racecourse and on six of those occasions, he has proved victorious, more times than not in convincing fashion. His lone blemish over the course and distance came in the 2023 G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup, when he was run down close home by multiple Horse of the Year Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) as the odds-on pop, but barring something unforeseen, Romantic Warrior should be righting that wrong against 10 others...

With an increasing number of international stamps in his passport, the multiple Group winner Brave Emperor (Ire) (Sioux Nation) is fast becoming one of the most admirable horses in training. Only twice in his 16 starts has the Archie Watson-trained four-year-old ever been out of the first three, but more impressive is that 10 of those runs have ended in victory - in five different countries, and counting. On Saturday, his 2024 debut resulted in a win in the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Cup in Qatar, a local Group 2 staged...

Multiple Group 1 winner Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), who was slated to make his dirt debut in the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup later this month, will not run in the 1800-metre main track affair, according to the latest list of probables released by the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia. With Luxembourg's absence, multiple group winner Isolate (Mark Valeski) draws into the main body of the field for trainer Doug Watson and owner RRR Racing. The Coolmore partners' runner, a winner of the 2023 G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup, the 2022 G1...

Unbelievable (Justify), a full-brother to the undefeated Cartier champion 2-year-old colt City of Troy and a veteran of five European starts when racing as Bertinelli for Coolmore and Aidan O'Brien, will become his boom sire's first starter in Hong Kong in the Class 3 Red Packet H. (1600m) at Monday's Chinese New Year meeting at Sha Tin Racecourse. A son of G1 Fillies' Mile winner Together Forever (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), also the dam of Group 3 winner Military Style (War Front) as well as the latter's full-brothers--the Group 2-placed Absolute...

Willie Browne's unbeaten Port Augusta (GB), who racked up wins over six and seven furlongs at Dundalk over the winter, has been sold for "proper money" to Hong Kong. The legendary breeze-up handler has described his recent upsurge of form on the track as "a breath of fresh air" and, while the 77-year-old admitted to being sorry he couldn't hold on to a horse as talented as Port Augusta, he revealed the son of Zoustar (Aus) fulfilled what he was bought to do by getting sold.  A 75,000gns Book 1...

Helios Express (Aus) (Toronado {Ire}) was crunched into $1.30 (3-10) favourtism for Sunday's HK$13-million Hong Kong Classic Mile, sat a perfect trip beneath Hugh Bowman and raced away late to take the first leg of the 4-year-old series in convincing fashion Sunday afternoon at Sha Tin. Alertly away from barrier six and carrying the number one saddlecloth signifying the highest-rated runner in the event, the John Size trainee allowed Chancheng Glory (Mor Spirit) and Helene Feeling (Ire) (Sioux Nation) do the heavy lifting and settled in the ideal spot while...

One of the best trainers in Hong Kong history, John Size is a three-time winner of the Hong Kong Classic Mile, a 1600-metre event that serves as the first of the three legs of the Classics series restricted to 4-year-olds from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The 12-times champion conditioner, who is approaching 1500 career victories, has two bonafide chances to add a fourth Classic Mile Sunday in the form of Helios Express (Aus) (Toronado {Ire}) and Howdeepisyourlove (Aus) (Deep Field {Aus}). Helios Express is the lone member of...

Group 1 second Islandsinthestream (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and the group-placed Mythology (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) have both been sold to Hong Kong interests and will race on in that jurisdiction, Joseph O'Brien confirmed to The Irish Field on Tuesday. The former is now in the barn of Tony Cruz, with Mythology settled in with Pierre Ng. "Everybody needs to keep trading for the bottom line," O'Brien told The Irish Field. "We're lucky to have had 2-year-olds who could compete in those top juvenile races and now it's all about looking...

Perennial leading jockey Zac Purton fired in a six-timer Sunday at Sha Tin, his best day in 15 months, but he was unable to sweeten the deal in the G1 Centenary Sprint Cup. Lucky Sweynesse (NZ) (Sweynesse {Aus}), the newly crowned world's best sprinter, was the $1.35 jolly to follow up on his victory in the G1 Longines Hong Sprint Dec. 10, but he was slow through the early stages and it ultimately spelled doom, as Derek Leung walked the dog astride Victor the Winner (Aus) (Toronado {Ire}) en route...

Having been officially recognized as the world's top-rated sprinter in London earlier this week, Lucky Sweynesse (NZ) (Sweynesse {Aus}) figures difficult to beat in defence of his title in Sunday's G1 Centenary Sprint Cup at Sha Tin Racecourse. The 5-year-old added last season's G1 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup in March and the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize the following month, but took a pair of defeats under big weights in his first two starts this season. More workmanlike than brilliant in besting Victor the Winner (Aus) (Toronado {Ire}) in the G2...