Sha Tin

Former Hong Kong Horse of the Year Romantic Warrior carved out another slice of history for himself with a gallant win in the G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup at Sha Tin on Sunday. The Acclamation gelding became only the third horse to sweep the Hong Kong Triple Crown after River Verdon (1993/94) and Voyage Bubble (2024/2025) in the process. The biggest question hovering over the eventual winner in the lead up to the race was the 2400-metre distance. Although Sunday was the 31st start of his career, Romantic...

After vowing earlier this week that Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) would not be chasing any more track records in defence of his title in the HK$24-million G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize, jockey Zac Purton will be only too happy to have been proven wrong. That's because the 5-year-old wunder-sprinter made the 1200-metre contest his 20th straight success, lowering his own mark by 0.02 and sweeping the Hong Kong Sprint Series for the second straight season. It has been just short of 500 days since Ka Ying Rising was last defeated in...

Trainer Mark Newnham celebrated a Group 1 breakthrough in Hong Kong on Sunday as stable star My Wish (Flying Artie) ran out a determined winner of the HK$24-million FWD Champions Mile. Breaking from stall 10, My Wish eased to the tail of the field as Copartner Prance (Epaulette) dictated the early gallop ahead of defending champion Red Lion (Belardo). Turning for home, fan favourite Voyage Bubble (Deep Field) made his move in search of a seventh career victory at the top level, while jockey Hugh Bowman angled My Wish into...

Despite facing what trainer Danny Shum described as the strongest field to go to post for the G1 FWD QEII Cup "for 15 or 20 years", it was a case of business as usual at Sha Tin on Sunday as Romantic Warrior (Acclamation) saw off a formidable international challenge to register a record-extending fourth success in the HK$30-million showpiece on FWD Champions Day. Racing in a clear fourth as last month's Hong Kong Derby second Numbers (Tivaci) led the eight-strong field to the home turn, the strong-travelling Romantic Warrior soon...

You'd have to say the Ka Ying Rising camp is feeling fairly confident, if the reports coming out of Sha Tin are anything to go by two days out from FWD Champions Day. A winner of 19 straight starts, a record for a Hong Kong-trained horse, the son of Shamexpress is coming into the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize with everything in his favour. Not only is the reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year aiming for a title defence in Sunday's 1200-metre contest, but connections feel he can get the...

The scene is unmistakably Hong Kong. A field of high-class Thoroughbreds thunders down a lush turf straight, the pounding of hooves echoing against a grandstand and a large diamond-vision screen. To a casual viewer with no sound on, this is racing at Sha Tin. But as the horses pull up, no skyscrapers loom over the backstretch, and the stands are desperately empty. There is no Shing Mun River here; it is a barrier trial at Conghua, and for the horses involved, the transition between these two worlds has become part...

Christophe Lemaire is counting down the days until Sunday's HK$30-million G1 FWD QEII Cup at Sha Tin, with the French-born jockey expressing his belief that his mount in the race, Masquerade Ball (Duramente), has "the potential to be one of the greats in Japanese racing". Lemaire, who has partnered top-class performers such as Almond Eye and Equinox during his time riding in the Far East, retains the utmost faith in the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) winner as he returns to action for the first time since being narrowly beaten by...

Hong Kong Horse of the Year Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) is one of the headline acts for FWD Champions Day at Sha Tin on April 26. A total of HK78 million (€8,522,110) is on offer across the three Group 1 races--the FWD QEII Cup (2000m), FWD Champions Mile and the Chairman's Sprint Prize (1200m). Overall, there are 38 entries for the three races (excluding reserves), 13 of them winners at the highest table. A winner of the Chairman's Sprint Prize in 2025, the gelding is aiming for his second win...

Zac Purton and David Hayes were left to scramble for adequate superlatives following another imperious performance from Ka Ying Rising in Monday's HK$5.35-million G2 Sprint Cup, with the son of Shamexpress once again lowering the 1,200-metre track record at Sha Tin on his way to a record-extending 19th consecutive victory. Ka Ying Rising, who was conceding 5lb to each of his six rivals, spreadeagled the field when first asked to quicken by Purton, leading by almost 10 lengths at one stage, before being eased down in the final 100 metres....

Former Hong Kong Horse of the Year Romantic Warrior tuned up for a start in April's G1 FWD QEII Cup on Thursday. The Danny Shum trainee impressed in a 1200-metre barrier trial on the dirt at Sha Tin. Already a winner of the QEII Cup in 2022, 2023, and 2024, he ran out a one-length victor over Red Lion (Belardo) in 1:10.70 with Hugh Bowman in the irons. Shum said, "I'm very happy; he's sound and he's happy. You can see by his trial, he's very good, and James [McDonald]...

Hong Kong's reigning Horse of the Year Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) won a barrier trial at Sha Tin on Tuesday morning. The gelding clocked a trial-best :57.62 for the 1000-metre trial over the Sha Tin lawn, a neck to the good of Beauty Waves (Starspangledbanner). The eight-time Group 1 winner, who currently holds the successive wins record at 18 for a Hong Kong-trained horse, is pointing toward the April 6 G2 Sprint Cup back at 1200 metres. Said pilot Zac Purton, "He's going really well. It's good to be back...

Crowning a memorable week for trainer Mark Newnham, Invincible Ibis (Hellbent) vindicated Hugh Bowman's faith with a record-breaking success in the HK$26-million BMW Hong Kong Derby at Sha Tin on Sunday. Owned by the Ibis Syndicate, Invincible Ibis was given a ground-saving ride by Bowman, before finishing strongly to overhaul the long-time leader Numbers (Tivaci) by 1 1/4 lengths, clocking a rapid time of 1:59.33, a new record for the Hong Kong Derby since the race distance was changed to 2,000 metres in 2000, eclipsing Massive Sovereign's mark of 1:59.85,...