https://www.scmp.com/rss/322313/feed The Audemars Piguet QEII Cup is the premier middle distance horse racing feature of the Hong Kong spring, run over 2,000m in late April. First run in 1975 to commemorate a visit by Queen Elizabeth to Happy Valley, it became an international race in 1995 and was promoted to international Group One status in 2001. With big global owners like Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum's Godolphin (Overbury, 1996), Team Valor (Irridescence, 2006), Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum (Archipenko,... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com So the Hong Kong season is in its final throes. Well, not quite – there are still 17 meetings and nine weeks until the closing meeting, but with the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup, Champions Mile and Chairman’s Sprint Prize over, the most significant parts of the term are done and dusted. Many of Hong Kong’s best horses are now done for the season, put aside until October rolls around and they go through the motions again. It’s a never-ending cycle. Michael Cox in his Happy Lucky Dragon Win blog... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1941594/crops-clashes-and-cornerstones-key-points-take-out-hong-kongs-spring?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1941594/crops-clashes-and-cornerstones-key-points-take-out-hong-kongs-spring?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 May 2016 17:27:48 +0000 Despite the success of the newly internationalised Chairman’s Sprint Prize on Champions Mile day, the Jockey Club has no plans to tinker with the current format in an effort to replicate the December meeting. To have winners from Australia, Japan and Hong Kong in the three Group Ones is a great testament to the international nature of the meetings Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges With last week’s running of the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup and Queen Mother Memorial Cup – the latter Group Three to be... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1940531/no-plans-replicate-december-hkir-meeting-despite-success-spring?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1940531/no-plans-replicate-december-hkir-meeting-despite-success-spring?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 May 2016 10:30:15 +0000 The Japanese challenge for the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup was beautiful chalk pavement art – stunning one minute, vanished the next in a swish of rain and Werther. Hey, it’s horseracing. It happens. You have hundreds of people out there doing their darnedest, seeing in trials or races what they’re getting before they own it That doesn’t detract at all from the collective quality that the land of the rising sun sent this way on Sunday, a group that was unlucky enough to strike a yielding track –... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1938565/japanese-invasion-was-staved-another-big-meeting-how-much-longer-can-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1938565/japanese-invasion-was-staved-another-big-meeting-how-much-longer-can-it?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Apr 2016 05:21:14 +0000 In the zone ... in a purple patch of form ... riding in a way which make it seem like things are happening in slow motion around him. However you want to describe it, Hugh Bowman seems a jockey at the peak of his powers right now and has a knack of producing his best on the biggest stages. Nerveless, tactically aware and showing supreme confidence in his decision-making, Bowman’s display on Werther in yesterday’s Audemars Piguet QE II Cup was just the latest in a series of brilliant big race... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1938292/hugh-bowman-worlds-premier-jockey-qe-ii-effort-suggests-he-there?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1938292/hugh-bowman-worlds-premier-jockey-qe-ii-effort-suggests-he-there?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Apr 2016 00:45:15 +0000 John Moore’s thirst for a major in Australia remains unquenched and he placed the Cox Plate in Melbourne on Werther’s agenda after the Derby winner dismantled an outstanding Audemars Piguet QE II Cup field yesterday. I’d love to give it a try with a horse like this who isn’t complicated John Moore Once the annual graveyard of Hong Kong Derby winners, the QE II has been the running double only for the best of the classic winners – Vengeance Of Rain, Ambitious Dragon and Designs On Rome – but none... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1938288/cox-plate-agenda-qe-ii-cup-winner-werther-after-world-class-display?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1938288/cox-plate-agenda-qe-ii-cup-winner-werther-after-world-class-display?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Apr 2016 17:00:45 +0000 There are big races that play out to the script. There are others where the script is revised by an outcome and still others where the revisions carry on in running. The plan was to be in the first five on a slowish tempo but there was a lot of pressure and I just didn’t want to be any part of it Hugh Bowman The 2016 edition of the HK$20 million Audemars Piguet QE II Cup looked more like a race where the script had been Google-translated into Sanskrit, then to ancient Greek, then back into... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1938275/john-moores-werther-storms-clear-his-rivals-qe-ii-cup-romp?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1938275/john-moores-werther-storms-clear-his-rivals-qe-ii-cup-romp?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Apr 2016 15:45:45 +0000 “World class” is how trainer John Moore described the breathtaking performance of Werther to win Sunday’s HK$20 million Audemars Piguet QE II Cup at Sha Tin. I never expected him to win like that, never John More on Werther Werther had won the BMW Hong Kong Derby at his most recent start by a narrow margin over stablemate Victory Magic, and the trainer and jockey Hugh Bowman both admitted that they didn’t expect him to demolish a field featuring some of the world’s best 2,000m gallopers in such... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1938036/watch-hong-kong-derby-winner-werther-world-class-qe-ii-cup-demolition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1938036/watch-hong-kong-derby-winner-werther-world-class-qe-ii-cup-demolition?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Apr 2016 09:45:15 +0000 Given the weather forecast, there is a degree of irony to his name but the horse regarded by many as Japan’s best 2,000m horse, Lovely Day, is the one to beat in the HK$20 million Audemars Piguet QE II Cup at Sha Tin today. What weather will arrive, and when, looks certain to play some part in deciding the world’s ninth top-rated race but those questions aside, Lovely Day (Joao Moreira) picks himself as the right favourite. In 2015, Lovely Day won six of his 10 starts, two of them Group Ones,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1937964/ugly-weather-expected-sha-tin-lovely-day-snare-qe-ii-cup-japan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1937964/ugly-weather-expected-sha-tin-lovely-day-snare-qe-ii-cup-japan?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Apr 2016 14:37:11 +0000 The prospect of a Japanese win looms large in the HK$20 million Audemars Piguet QE II Cup today but, regardless of today’s result, racing fans might have to get used to strength in numbers from the land of the rising sun as a regular feature of Group races at Sha Tin. I think our races will become a regular target for more Japanese horses, even away from these flagship meetings Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges Japanese visitors have played a major role for many years in the December international... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1937962/qe-ii-cup-sign-times-japan-prepares-mount-more-raids-sha-tin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1937962/qe-ii-cup-sign-times-japan-prepares-mount-more-raids-sha-tin?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Apr 2016 14:00:02 +0000 Defending Audemars Piguet QE II Cup hero Blazing Speed and rider Neil Callan haven’t been that kind of horse and jockey tale celebrated in song and story, but the pairing has become more enduring than most despite its under-the-radar profile. Callan got on Tony Cruz-trained Blazing Speed after the horse returned from a Dubai trip almost two years ago and the Irishman has remained his constant companion since, climbing aboard for 14 of his 17 races and landing two of his three majors. It hasn’t... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1937832/timing-key-neil-callan-believes-waiting-right-moment-will-be-pivotal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1937832/timing-key-neil-callan-believes-waiting-right-moment-will-be-pivotal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Apr 2016 16:29:36 +0000 Wet and wild weather at Sha Tin failed to stop the strong Japanese contingent completing preparations yesterday for the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup, but news that even heavier rain is predicted for Sunday’s race was met with mixed responses by the three sets of connections. So will a wet track help or hinder the chances of Japan taking home a fourth QE II Cup? Yes, no and maybe were the answers from the three camps as Satono Crown, Lovely Day and Nuovo Record pushed through the tail end of a windy... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1937783/japanese-trainers-offer-mixed-response-possibility-rain-affected-track?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1937783/japanese-trainers-offer-mixed-response-possibility-rain-affected-track?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Apr 2016 11:59:28 +0000 For horses used to the hustle and bustle of a busy racing stable, the Sha Tin quarantine barns can be a lonely, desolate place, an exercise in isolation. This week, they are a hive of activity by their standards, but there is still not the same action and movement as generally occurs in a stable. The quarantine area is the setting for one of the most unlikely stories to emerge from the build-up to Sunday’s Audemars Piguet QE II Cup – the blossoming friendship between Australian QE II runner... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1937633/story-week-goes-odd-couple-relationship-buffering-and-rising-romance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1937633/story-week-goes-odd-couple-relationship-buffering-and-rising-romance?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Apr 2016 17:00:15 +0000 Any fears Werther is feeling the effects of his BMW Hong Kong Derby campaign were put to rest with a strong gallop yesterday morning as John Moore’s three Audemars Piguet QE II Cup runners had their final hit-outs at Sha Tin. Werther worked through a strong 1,200m on the grass with a companion under floodlights early yesterday morning with work rider Thomas Yeung Kai-tong aboard, finishing under a strong hold and still full of running as he crossed the line. “Thomas rides him every morning and... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1937614/john-moore-gives-his-three-qe-ii-cup-runners-thumbs-after-final-gallops?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1937614/john-moore-gives-his-three-qe-ii-cup-runners-thumbs-after-final-gallops?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Apr 2016 13:15:45 +0000 Most were happy with their barrier draws yesterday for the HK$20 million Audemars Piguet QE II Cup on Sunday, but between the likely tactics and tempos, the race remained shrouded in mystery. Werther is probably mine best suited by the draw, he should be able to settle up handy and has shown that he can sprint off fast speeds, soft speeds John Moore The numbers were satisfying as race favourites Lovely Day (gate one), Designs On Rome (two), Highland Reel (six), Nuovo Record (seven) drew the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1937611/everyones-winner-tactics-key-qe-ii-cup-all-contenders-are-happy-barrier?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1937611/everyones-winner-tactics-key-qe-ii-cup-all-contenders-are-happy-barrier?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Apr 2016 13:00:45 +0000 Trainer David Hayes might not have made the trip to Sha Tin for this wekend’s Audemars Piget QE II Cup with Rising Romance but for the local knowledge he picked up in his decade of training here. A dual championship winner in that time, Hayes said yesterday that former Australian Oaks winner Rising Romance has an issue with high muscle enzyme levels – a condition known as tying-up – which has to be closely managed and would normally be a red flag in consideration of overseas targets. Her blood... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1937605/david-hayes-insider-knowledge-hong-kong-factor-rising-romances-trip-sha?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1937605/david-hayes-insider-knowledge-hong-kong-factor-rising-romances-trip-sha?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Apr 2016 12:09:00 +0000 Connections believe Japanese mare Nuovo Record returns for Sunday’s Group One Audemars Piguet QE II Cup in even better shape than when second on international day and she could make Sha Tin a regular stop in her yearly schedule. I think she is a little bit stronger and might even be heavier than when she was here in the winter, she is five, but maybe she is still improving Hiroshi Ando While most of the local QE II contenders have had a tough campaign already this season, peaking multiple times... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1937419/nuovo-record-right-her-peak-she-prepares-qe-ii-cup?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1937419/nuovo-record-right-her-peak-she-prepares-qe-ii-cup?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Apr 2016 12:30:15 +0000 Douglas Whyte and Mike de Kock may have been two of the very biggest South African names in the sport over the past two decades, but the connection between them goes back to something humbler than horse racing. It isn’t Mike’s first time – he knows what he’s brought in the past and he was pretty bullish after Meydan Douglas Whyte De Kock is out to win his third HK$20 million Audemars Piguet QE II Cup on Sunday at Whyte’s first Hong Kong ride for the trainer since Falstaff in the same race 10... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1937101/heavy-hitter-mike-de-kock-looking-third-qe-ii-cup-success-ertijaal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1937101/heavy-hitter-mike-de-kock-looking-third-qe-ii-cup-success-ertijaal?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Apr 2016 08:15:45 +0000 Wild weather and torrential rain greeted overseas gallopers Ertijaal and Lovely Day as they had their first look at the Sha Tin turf yesterday morning in preparation for Sunday’s Audemars Piguet QE II Cup. He’s fresh this morning, we didn’t take him out yesterday, but he’s taking the trip really well Melanie Sharpe on Buffering Sha Tin saw almost 20mm of rain in three hours, with little respite expected in the lead-up to Sunday’s HK$20 million feature, but it didn’t stop the international... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1936966/wet-weather-greeting-overseas-contingent-greeted-showers-they-get-first?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1936966/wet-weather-greeting-overseas-contingent-greeted-showers-they-get-first?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Apr 2016 13:00:30 +0000 Zac Purton has been called upon for two foreign raiders from internationally renowned stables in Sha Tin’s spring features, with the champion Australian jockey revealing on Thursday he will be aboard Japan’s Satono Crown in the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup and Australian visitor Bow Creek in the Champions Mile. Purton’s announcement comes hot on the heels of leading rider Joao Moreira’s recent decision to ride Japanese-trained horses Lovely Day and Maurice in the same two races as the locals look... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1935957/mr-worldwide-zac-purton-booked-foreign-raiders-satono-crown-bow-creek?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1935957/mr-worldwide-zac-purton-booked-foreign-raiders-satono-crown-bow-creek?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Apr 2016 08:30:30 +0000 Something different for black bookers after watching the preparation run for Lovely Day, the leading Japanese hope in the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup later this month. Both Lovely Day and Nuovo Record ran in the Group Two Sankei Osaka Hai over 2,000m at Hanshin, finishing respectively fourth and sixth of 11 runners. This was a strong race – more than half the field was made up of Group One winners – so don’t be fooled by ‘fourth in a Group Two’ when Lovely Day arrives, not by the Group Two tag and... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1933606/japanese-raider-track-qe-ii-cup-after-lovely-fourth-prep?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1933606/japanese-raider-track-qe-ii-cup-after-lovely-fourth-prep?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Apr 2016 14:30:30 +0000 Hong Kong’s stars will have their work cut out defending an excellent recent record at home in the HK$20 million Audemars Piguet QE II Cup on April 24 after the Jockey Club unveiled the best field yet assembled for the race. The international Group One will bring together the might of Japan, Coolmore, the Aga Khan and Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al-Maktoum against the last three locally trained winners of the race lining up in an edition that confirms again the QE II Cup’s place in the world’s top... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1932313/seven-foreign-stars-test-hong-kongs-best-qe-ii-cup-ages?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1932313/seven-foreign-stars-test-hong-kongs-best-qe-ii-cup-ages?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Mar 2016 07:30:00 +0000 And so, with Sunday’s card gone, so is Ryan Moore as a full-time fixture in the jockey colony at Sha Tin and the sun still rises in the east, but the additions of Moore and Silvestre de Sousa, who finished the week before, were clear bonuses to the overall competition. Those who might have anticipated Moore would put a stick in the spokes of Joao Moreira were never going to be correct but both he and De Sousa performed at a level that should have everyone hoping they will return. Fans will have... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1919562/ryan-moore-and-silvestre-de-sousa-have-punters-baying-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1919562/ryan-moore-and-silvestre-de-sousa-have-punters-baying-more?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Mar 2016 16:30:15 +0000