Hong Kong: Capsule previews of the 4 Group 1 races Sunday

The final workouts are in the books, and the time for talking is almost over. A host of top-level, international winners has been primed to fight for four Group 1 contests worth US$15.1 million at Sha Tin on Sunday, and a series of compelling head-to-head contests will play a vital role in deciding who joins the illustrious Hong Kong International Races roll of honor.

Hong Kong Vase, 1 1/2 miles, 1:10 a.m. EST

João Moreira, the Magic Man, has returned to ride a fast-improving colt from Japan, and Moore returned to Hong Kong to pick up a fourth title as the world’s best jockey and to ride a proven Group 1 filly with a persuasive Vase profile.

Junko, Zeffiro and Geraldina add international, older-horse appeal, but the only two 3-year-olds in this year’s Vase have been capturing considerable attention in training this week.

Lebensstil, who will be ridden by Moreira, is highly progressive after just six runs and made smart rivals look ordinary in a Group 2 race at Nakayama in September. Warm Heart, Moore’s ride, is a dual Group 1 winner and brings a similar profile to Aidan O’Brien’s previous Vase winners Highland Reel and Mogul in that she is by the great stallion Galileo and already has plenty of international experience.

West Wind Blows, the Caulfield Cup (G1) runner-up, injured his left front leg and has been scratched from the Vase, according to Hong Kong chief steward Marc Van Gestel.

Hong Kong Sprint, six furlongs, 1:50 a.m. EST

Manfred Man’s gelding Lucky Sweynesse was sent off as 4-5 favorite for last year’s Sprint, but Zac Purton found himself caught in a pocket for most of the homestretch and Wellington took full advantage under Moore.

Wellington returns with his new trainer Jamie Richards and regular rider Alexis Badel back aboard. Rags-to-riches Great Britain mare Highfield Princess and the high-class Japan pair Mad Cool and Jasper Krone add further interest.

But Lucky Sweynesse remains the highest-rated turf sprinter on the planet, and with several pounds to spare on international ratings, he looks sure to be one of the hottest favorites of the night.

Hong Kong Mile, 3 a.m. EST

“It’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

Abraham Lincoln’s views on the aging process come to mind as three-time horse of the year Golden Sixty bids to land his third Hong Kong Mile now as an 8-year-old. The key facts are simple.

Very few horses are still at their very best at age 8. Winning an international Group 1 after more than seven months off the track is tough, and an extra layer of complexity is added when drawn into post 14 against dangerous foes.

Last year’s Mile winner California Spangle is back again along with a relentlessly progressive Hong Kong hope in Beauty Eternal, and a five-strong Japan contingent includes proven Group 1 performers Serifos and Namur.

But after 29 starts and nine Group 1 wins together, Vincent Ho knows Golden Sixty better than anyone.

“When I ask him to pick up there is no turbo lag,” said Ho, a Formula 1 fan who won this week’s International Jockeys’ Championship at Happy Valley.

Is the Golden boy’s turbo still firing? Sha Tin will erupt on Sunday if so.

Hong Kong Cup, 1 1/4 miles, 3:40 a.m. EST

“He’s got everything a good horse needs, and he’s got it in spades.”

James McDonald summed up Romantic Warrior neatly after he ran cleanly away from a high-class field in last year’s Hong Kong Cup. Danny Shum’s gelding wrote another memorable chapter in racing history with his dramatic success in the 1 1/4-mile Cox Plate (G1) in Australia.

But winning on the road is one thing. Do it again on home soil just six weeks later is another.

Fairy King Prawn followed his trip to Tokyo to land the Yasuda Kinen in 2000 by winning his first start after heading home, but some world-class Hong Kong international Group 1 winners have taken time to find their stride in their first race back on home soil.

If international ratings are a reliable guide, Romantic Warrior must be at his very best Sunday. Aidan O’Brien’s triple Group 1 winner Luxembourg lines up with a 123-pound rating that is identical to that of the hometown hero. Fellow visitors Horizon Dore at a 120 rating and Prognosis at 119 are close behind and in tremendous form after going close against the best in Japan and Europe, respectively.

Coverage of the Hong Kong International Races at Horse Racing Nation is made possible through a sponsorship by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.