Hong Kong Championship Day draws 4 of world's top turf horses

Hong Kong's Champions Day on Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse features three Group 1 races that have attracted a quartet of the highest rated turf horses in the world.

The three feature races, which will take place beginning at 2:50 a.m. EDT, are the Chairman’s Sprint Prize, run at about 6 furlongs for a purse of US$2.5 million, the Champions Mile for US$2.5 million and the QEII Cup, run at about 1 1/4 miles for a US$3 million purse.

The four stars will be representing the home Hong Kong home team and it is very possible, if not likely, that their connections will occupy the top spot on the podium in all three races. At the minimum, they will be favored in all three races.

The Chairman’s Sprint Prize features Lucky Sweynesse, who has emerged as the dominant sprinter in Hong Kong. Last season, he was a progressive horse that won five of his first seven starts, including his first three at Happy Valley. This season, he came out with an easy win in a Class 1, then held on for second in the Premier Bowl Handicap (G2), when he was run down by Wellington.

Next time out in the Jockey Club Sprint (G2), he sat off the pace and rallied to win by a nose in 1:07.55 seconds, while getting five pounds from Wellington. Wellington got his revenge in the Hong Kong Sprint (G1), when Lucky Sweynesse had all sorts of traffic problems in the stretch.

But since then, Lucky Sweynesse won two straight Group 1 stakes and a Group 2 to prep for this. Left in his wake two starts back was California Spangle in the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (G1), covering the nearly seven furlongs  in 1:21.12 seconds as much the best. Only 4 years old, Lucky Sweynesse is the fastest of the fast and looks to have the sprint division at his mercy for the foreseeable future.

With four superstar local runners and three Group 1 stakes races, something had to give and the Champions Mile is the beneficiary. Horse of the Year Golden Sixty has won this race the past two years and beat California Spangle in last year’s renewal. California Spangle is fast enough to try the Sprint, but I think Lucky Sweynesse might have changed his connections’ mind.

Instead, California Spangle will take on Golden Sixty at a distance where he was able to beat him in December’s Hong Kong Mile (G1). Golden Sixty reversed that decision in the Stewards’ Cup (G1) at the Champions Mile distance and then came back to beat Romantic Warrior in the City Hong Kong Cup (G1) going just under 1 1/4 miles. He is an amazing 12 for 14 going a mile and even at the age of 7 he shows no signs of slowing down. No matter the circumstances, Vincent Ho is able to find a gear that gets him home; something they have done 24 times.

It will be fascinating to see what tactics Zac Purton employs aboard California Spangle. Yes, he did set a dawdling pace in the Hong Kong Mile to hold off Golden Sixty’s late surge, but I still feel that his best chance is to use his brilliant speed to open up as big a lead as possible turning for home. The third quarter mile split will be the key, not the fourth, in my humble opinion.

That said, I’m going with California Spangle to grimly hold on in the stretch duel that we are all hoping for.

The QEII Cup has the strongest international field of the three races and as good as Romantic Warrior is going a distance where he has won 4 of 5, he could get beat. Dubai Honour is a world traveler from William Haggas that won the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) in Australia last start going this distance on soft ground.

Danon the Kid was a distant second here in December in the Hong Kong Cup (G1) and ran well last out in Hanshin going this distance in super time. Prognosis is a lightly raced son of the immortal Deep Impact who has a wicked finish and is still improving in only his ninth career start. Geraldina is a daughter of seven-time Group 1 winner Gentildonna and finished third to Equinox two starts back to finish last year and had an easy prep for this last out.

If there is going to be an upset in Sunday's trio of top-level races, it will come in this race and I think Geraldina can fly the flag for Japan as the nation's racing program continues to thrive on the international stage.

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