https://www.scmp.com/rss/33823/feed The Hong Kong Mile is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile) at Sha Tin, and it is scheduled to take place each year in mid December. The race was first run in 1991, and it was originally titled the Hong Kong International Bowl. Its distance was initially set at 1,400 metres. The event's present title and distance were both introduced in 1999, and the following year it was promoted... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Meanwhile, away with the established top-liners, kudos to Japan's Lord Kanaloa. It is a rare beast able to win Group One races at 1,200m and also at a 1,600m level as high as the Yasuda Kinen and it's certainly an outstanding early prospect for the Longines December internationals that we may see him here for the Hong Kong Mile. Winning at international level is tough in the first place, which is why so many who do it are absolute specialists at the particular distance in which they excel. The... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1253461/lord-kanaloa-certainly-capable-rare-double?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1253461/lord-kanaloa-certainly-capable-rare-double?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Lord Kanaloa's stirring victory in yesterday's Yasuda Kinen in Tokyo set up a possible tilt at the Hong Kong Mile. The stallion emphatically swept aside pre-race doubts he could run a strong 1,600m as two of his potential rivals in December - Glorious Days and Helene Spirit - finished down the track. After dominating the Hong Kong Sprint last December, Lord Kanaloa looks an ominous threat should his trainer Takayuki Yasuda convince the owners to return to Sha Tin for the longer race later this... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1252116/lord-kanaloa-eyes-hong-kong-mile?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1252116/lord-kanaloa-eyes-hong-kong-mile?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Two days after a trackwork incident had nearly dashed his chance at a long-awaited date with destiny, Ambitious Dragon thrust himself into the company of the all-time greats, with emotional trainer Tony Millard left to marvel at his horse's toughness and tenacity. After Ambitious Dragon threw a shoe and lacerated skin on his right-hind pastern on Friday morning, his place in the event had become a race against time - Millard's stable staff working around the clock on the injury; the horse failed... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1101675/ambitious-dragons-super-champion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1101675/ambitious-dragons-super-champion?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 If you listen to the trainers of Ambitious Dragon and Glorious Days - the leading chances for tomorrow's Longines Hong Kong Mile - the mutual admiration flows so freely you could easily get the impression they would switch horses for one race if they could. A day after Glorious Days' handler, John Size, declared Ambitious Dragon "unbeatable" if the two-time defending Horse of the Year brings his 'A' game, his trainer Tony Millard returned serve, saying his up-and-coming rival "has the race at... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1100123/respect-glorious-days-says-millard?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1100123/respect-glorious-days-says-millard?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 When Ambitious Dragon's owner, Johnson Lam Pui-hung, peeled back the number 11 at the barrier draw for the HK$20 million Longines Hong Mile yesterday, the audible sigh from onlookers said "advantage Glorious Days" - but there was one important individual who demurred. Ambitious Dragon's conqueror in the Jockey Club Mile was one of the early names out at the draw and Glorious Days was perfectly placed in gate three but his trainer, John Size, wasn't buying the common wisdom. "Ambitious Dragon, on... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1099222/champ-ambitious-dragon-out-luck-hong-kong-mile-barrier-draw?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1099222/champ-ambitious-dragon-out-luck-hong-kong-mile-barrier-draw?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Gerald Mosse has raised more than the occasional eyebrow this week as he repeatedly made a case for French filly Siyouma measuring up to the Hong Kong milers, and any lingering doubts about his filly's ability vanished without trace in the wake of a sparkling workout yesterday. If winning international Group Ones is the benchmark criteria this weekend, then Siyouma is right there already, having won at racing's ultimate level at her last two starts at Newmarket (UK) and Woodbine (Canada). On a... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1099226/clear-morning-french-filly-siyouma-serves-breakfast-remember?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1099226/clear-morning-french-filly-siyouma-serves-breakfast-remember?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 First time he went to the races, Mile hopeful Gordon Lord Byron went so badly he was pulled up after a furlong. And this time last year he was languishing in the relative obscurity of Friday night racing in the northeast of Ireland, twice beaten in modest handicaps on Dundalk's all-weather track. Those races were held in front of no more than a few hundred hardy fans in the dead of winter and afterwards trainer Tom Hogan couldn't possibly have predicted what was in store this year. On Sunday, in... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1098263/gordon-lord-byron-name-everyones-lips-hong-kong-mile?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1098263/gordon-lord-byron-name-everyones-lips-hong-kong-mile?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Xtension heads into Sunday's showcase meeting with impeccable credentials as the host city's big-occasion miler and he further underlined his claims to a third international Group One title. Trainer John Moore gave the dual Champions Mile hero a stern workout on the Sha Tin turf track shortly before 7am but the handsome near-black stallion made light work of the task, completing 1,200 metres in the excellent time of 1 minute 16.2 seconds. Xtension was ridden by Neil Callan and was accompanied by... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1097534/xtension-delivers-timely-reminder-hong-kong-mile?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1097534/xtension-delivers-timely-reminder-hong-kong-mile?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 There will be no sizzling trackwork from Ambitious Dragon this week, according to his handler Tony Millard, who says the trainer's cue is in the rack and his reigning two-time Horse of the Year is ready for a date with destiny in Sunday's Longines Hong Kong Mile. Ambitious Dragon was once known for his stunning morning workouts, but Millard seems to have favoured a fresh approach this preparation - literally - and yesterday morning's relatively easy gallop on the course proper was typical of a... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1096886/millard-keeps-things-fresh-ambitious-dragon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1096886/millard-keeps-things-fresh-ambitious-dragon?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Hong Kong has not been beaten in its flagship 1,600m event, the Hong Kong Mile, since Japanese galloper Hat Trick took it out seven years ago and it is the Japanese who present the greatest challenge this year to a home-town win. Hat Trick won the Kyoto Mile Championship on his way to Sha Tin, and last Sunday that race was fought out by Sadamu Patek and Grand Prix Boss, with the former prevailing by a neck and the latter now runner-up this year in both of Japan's Group One miles. The third... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1087701/japanese-pair-poses-biggest-danger-hong-kong-stranglehold-mile?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/1087701/japanese-pair-poses-biggest-danger-hong-kong-stranglehold-mile?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The Jockey Club has announced early nominations for the HK$72 million on offer in the Longines Hong Kong International Races on December 9, with 80 Group One winners among the names. "We are delighted with the depth of quality at the nomination stage," the club's executive director of racing, Bill Nader said. "Such star names are what we have come to expect from our flagship race day, an event that is one of Hong Kong's most famous sporting spectacles. "With Longines joining us for the first... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1072662/80-group-one-winners-nominate-hk-international-races?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1072662/80-group-one-winners-nominate-hk-international-races?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Hong Kong racing's 'turf world championships' showpiece on December 9 will see an increase in stake money with the transition to its new sponsor, Longines. The Swiss watchmaker takes over from Cathay Pacific, the event partner for the past eight years, and the 2012 Hong Kong International Races will carry an additional HK$4 million in prize money across the four Group One events. The Hong Kong Mile will remain the richest mile in the world on turf, despite remaining unchanged at HK$20 million in... https://www.scmp.com/article/1005207/longines-boosts-big-day-hk4m?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1005207/longines-boosts-big-day-hk4m?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Jun 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Hong Kong horses again drew blanks on foreign shores with a disappointing duo failing to fire in yesterday's Yasuda Kinen, as Japanese comeback horse Strong Return emerged as contender for December's Hong Kong Mile with a bullocking victory. The Caspar Fownes-trained Lucky Nine faded to 11th after being placed perfectly in the run by Brett Prebble, while John Size's Glorious Days seemed overwhelmed by his first overseas Group One and finished 14th. Lucky Nine's long season started with a trip to... https://www.scmp.com/article/1002938/lucky-nine-and-glorious-days-flop-miserably?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1002938/lucky-nine-and-glorious-days-flop-miserably?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Jun 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The discussion at yesterday's BMW Champions Mile barrier draw seemed to be centred less around the draw itself than about the time and margin that would be posted by Dubai Duty Free winner Cityscape, with both John Moore and John Size conceding the English horse may simply be too good. No foreign visitor has taken out the Champions Mile in its brief international history, but Moore said: 'After Cityscape's absolute annihilation of everyone in Dubai, he might do the same thing Rulership did to us... https://www.scmp.com/article/1000037/top-trainers-cant-see-past-cityscape-mile?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1000037/top-trainers-cant-see-past-cityscape-mile?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000 A brilliant Italian rider and a super Japanese racehorse will be the names on the trophy for the HK$14 million Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup of 2012, but the Sha Tin racetrack also emerged from the gloom of Sunday morning to play hero in yesterday's international feature. Italian jockey Umberto Rispoli signed off from his brief Hong Kong contract with an outstanding display to seize the cup on the Katsuhiko Sumii-trained Rulership and put the Japanese back in the winner's circle at Sha... https://www.scmp.com/article/999647/rispoli-signs-style-rulership?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/999647/rispoli-signs-style-rulership?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000 One wag commented that Hong Kong's Dubai team left town as the 'A Team' and will come back looking more like 'F Troop' - yes, you are forgiven if you don't know the 1960s American TV comedy - though that would be unfair to the sprinters. Joy And Fun's effort in the Al-Quoz Sprint was outstanding, not only because he missed the start when the barrier handlers weren't holding his tail, but because jockey Brett Doyle may have overdone the catch-up tactics once he was dealt a bad hand at the start.... https://www.scmp.com/article/997382/even-champions-get-travel-weary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/997382/even-champions-get-travel-weary?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Hong Kong hearts were broken as the two sprinters carrying the Bauhinia flag were beaten by barriers, in more ways than one, and the fancied trio in the Dubai Duty Free failed to fire on a drama-charged evening at Meydan. Joy And Fun was left the sole Hong Kong-runner in the Al Quoz Sprint after the surprising late scratching of Eagle Regiment and missed the start as a result of what connections said was a change in the way the horse is handled in the starting gates. The Derek Cruz-trained... https://www.scmp.com/article/997142/disappointment-all-round-hk-dubai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/997142/disappointment-all-round-hk-dubai?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000 John Moore didn't get his wish for Xtension to gain a run in the world's richest race, with the five-year-old remaining in the US$5 million Dubai Duty Free, a race Hong Kong seemingly has a stranglehold on with three star runners. Probable fields have been released for Saturday week's desert showpiece, where Xtension will square off against domestic rivals Ambitious Dragon and California Memory over 1,800m on the turf. All three have their final serious hit-out before departing in a 1,000m... https://www.scmp.com/article/995998/xtension-face-dragon-and-memory?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/995998/xtension-face-dragon-and-memory?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The potential embarrassment of having retired champion Good Ba Ba representing Macau in tomorrow's Group Three interport trophy at Sha Tin has been avoided, but the horse's controversial owner may still prove a thorn in the Hong Kong Jockey Club's side. Good Ba Ba, John Yuen Se-kit's 10-year-old former Hong Kong Horse of the Year and world champion miler, remains in training with Gary Moore at Taipa, unrated and unnamed but for his D168 brand and with little in the way of recent... https://www.scmp.com/article/994908/good-ba-bas-owner-could-still-make-his-mark?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/994908/good-ba-bas-owner-could-still-make-his-mark?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Tony Millard unleashed Ambitious Dragon in a trial yesterday and the top-rated horse showed he is ready to atone for an uncharacteristic international day performance. It was a busy morning at Sha Tin for Millard's stable, with 11 horses entered across the 11 trials. But it was Ambitious Dragon who stole the show, producing some of his trademark acceleration as he cruised through a 1,000m hit-out up the straight. The first batch was of Group One quality with Millard's stable star squaring off... https://www.scmp.com/article/990409/trialled-and-tested-re-enter-dragon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/990409/trialled-and-tested-re-enter-dragon?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000 As the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races recede into history for another 12 months, the Jockey Club is set to make its feelings known with the Macau Jockey Club regarding the resurrection of a CXHKIR hero on Taipa. Rejected by racing officials in Singapore and Dubai, three-time Hong Kong Mile champion Good Ba Ba is set to recommence his racing career in Macau, as his 10th birthday looms. The winner of 16 races and HK$59,026,500 in stakes has not won since he became the only horse to... https://www.scmp.com/article/987629/officials-upset-over-mjcs-handling-ba-ba?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/987629/officials-upset-over-mjcs-handling-ba-ba?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Local horses have taken the past five runnings of the HK$20 million Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile and a favourable draw for the John Moore-trained Xtension might prove the difference between the trophy staying at home again or going abroad. Xtension (Darren Beadman) was able to convert a similar draw into a narrow Champions Mile victory in April over the course, and again looks to be his edge over the top French filly Sahpresa (Christophe Lemaire). Sahpresa was a terrific third in the race after... https://www.scmp.com/article/987505/ideal-draw-gives-xtension-chance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/987505/ideal-draw-gives-xtension-chance?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Caspar Fownes' team for International Day are down one player after the withdrawal of miler Fair Trade, but the trainer is still upbeat on his chances of success tomorrow, in particular with sprint star Lucky Nine. Fair Trade was scratched from the HK$20 million Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile after appearing rough in his action yesterday, leaving Fownes with two runners each in the Sprint and Vase. 'Fair Trade was just falling away a bit and feeling a leg injury, so we had to take him out... https://www.scmp.com/article/987354/fownes-sees-lucky-nine-key-riches?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/987354/fownes-sees-lucky-nine-key-riches?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000 The connections of champion sprinter Sacred Kingdom believe the veteran can capture a third Hong Kong Sprint, despite an unorthodox preparation and an unconvincing barrier trial at Sha Tin yesterday. The four-time Hong Kong Sprinter of the Year, who won the international sprint in 2007 and 2009, will go into this year's feature on December 11 coming off a 10-week break and having raced just once in the last six months. Trainer Ricky Yiu Poon-fai cited the eight-year-old's ageing legs as the... https://www.scmp.com/article/986340/yiu-believes-kingdom-will-find-his-feet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/986340/yiu-believes-kingdom-will-find-his-feet?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:00:00 +0000 The Jockey Club could not tempt connections of Frankel to be at Sha Tin for the HK$20 million Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile on December 11, but Excelebration is just about the next best thing and is scheduled to take part. The Mile goes to HK$20 million in stake money for the first time this year, and though it has been the property of Hong Kong gallopers for the past five runnings they will need to be on their mettle to fend off the renewed foreign challenge. The locals will field a powerful... https://www.scmp.com/article/985748/excelebration-provide-litmus-test-hks-finest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/985748/excelebration-provide-litmus-test-hks-finest?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:00:00 +0000 While the Hong Kong stars were battling it out on Sunday at Sha Tin for a place in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races next month, Eishin Apollon was proving the best of the Japanese Group One milers in the Kyoto Mile Championship. Run right-handed and one of only two Group One miles for the year in Japan, the Mile Championship has been a race with a strong form influence on the Hong Kong Mile in the past and is likely to be again this year. Connections of French-trained Sahpresa,... https://www.scmp.com/article/985573/eishin-apollon-throws-down-gauntlet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/985573/eishin-apollon-throws-down-gauntlet?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:00:00 +0000 There was just a nose in it, but just enough to swear about for favourite punters as French jockey Maxime Guyon's unbeaten run on Ambitious Dragon came to an inglorious end in the Cathay Pacific Jockey Club Mile and the John Moore-trained Destined For Glory put up his bid for international glory next month. Earlier in the week, Moore had declared Ambitious Dragon was the best horse he had seen in 40 years in Hong Kong racing and that only injury or bad luck would see him beaten against domestic... https://www.scmp.com/article/985446/ambitious-dragon-still-champion-insists-guyon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/985446/ambitious-dragon-still-champion-insists-guyon?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Nov 2011 16:00:00 +0000 The star-studded Jockey Club features on November 20 are looking a proper dress rehearsal for the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races in December, with yesterday's release of entries missing few names. The Jockey Club Cup, Jockey Club Sprint and Jockey Club Mile will feature most of the top domestic performers, though Caspar Fownes-trained Lucky Nine and Green Birdie will miss the day and John Size is bypassing the Mile with Sichuan Success in an effort to have him right for... https://www.scmp.com/article/984175/club-features-lure-top-performers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/984175/club-features-lure-top-performers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Nov 2011 16:00:00 +0000 The 2011 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races (CXHKIR) may still be almost two months away, but racing fans will get at least a flavour of what is to come with release yesterday of the star-studded entries. A total of 311 horses were nominated at the first stage for the four international events on December 11 at Sha Tin, with an auspicious 88 of them already Group One winners. With the prize money for the Hong Kong Mile increased from HK$16 million to HK$20 million this year, the race... https://www.scmp.com/article/982392/star-studded-line-turf-world-championships?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/982392/star-studded-line-turf-world-championships?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Leading jockey Brett Prebble will have to choose between cold hard cash and Hong Kong's opening day if Caspar Fownes confirms a start in the Group Two Centaur Stakes in Japan for Lucky Nine and Green Birdie after they trial on Tuesday. 'We haven't made a final decision on whether they go to Japan, but the plan is that both will run in the Centaur on September 11 and then the Sprinters Stakes three weeks later,' Fownes said yesterday. 'And the way they both are working, I expect them to... https://www.scmp.com/article/977177/yen-might-be-too-much-temptation-prebble?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/977177/yen-might-be-too-much-temptation-prebble?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Aug 2011 16:00:00 +0000 The Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile will regain its place as the world's richest mile on turf in December after the Jockey Club boosted prize money to HK$20 million. Currency market fluctuations have pushed Japan's Yasuda Kinen and Kyoto Mile Championship and even Sydney's Doncaster Mile past the HK$16 million previously on offer at the international meeting. 'The HK$20 million will make the Hong Kong Mile the richest race again, and hopefully, act as an incentive for owners to buy the kind of... https://www.scmp.com/article/973248/hk-mile-regain-title-worlds-richest-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/973248/hk-mile-regain-title-worlds-richest-race?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:00:00 +0000 The soap-opera career of former world champion miler and 2008 Horse Of The Year, Good Ba Ba, may finally be over after his retirement was announced yesterday. The nine-year-old gelding ran 46 times for 16 wins - the last seven of them Group Ones - and amassed HK$59,026,500 in stakes, making history when he scored in three successive runnings of the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile. At his peak, his stunning turn of foot left rival milers floundering and he formed a memorable partnership with... https://www.scmp.com/article/971446/curtain-comes-down-good-ba-bas-career?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/971446/curtain-comes-down-good-ba-bas-career?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:00:00 +0000 A combination of factors that has eluded Thumbs Up this season in Hong Kong can pave the way to the Caspar Fownes-trained six-year-old claiming the prestigious Group One Yasuda Kinen today. Fownes already has an overseas Group One on his resume, with Green Birdie's win in Singapore last year, and that same horse was unlucky in feature Japanese sprints earlier in the term, to show Fownes knows what travelling horses is about. Thumbs Up (Brett Prebble) has been positively glowing with health at... https://www.scmp.com/article/969764/thumbs-can-claim-first-international-group-trophy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/969764/thumbs-can-claim-first-international-group-trophy?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Jun 2011 16:00:00 +0000 It may not make the final Olivier Doleuze highlight reel alongside Good Ba Ba's third consecutive Hong Kong Mile victory, but yesterday's front-running display from the French jockey on Super Horse was certainly worthy of the short-list. Trainer Michael Chang Chun-wai's move to step the three-year-old up to a mile for the first time in the Sea Eagle Handicap (1,600m) reaped immediate rewards care of a beautifully crafted ride from Doleuze, which denied his chasers any hope. 'Super Horse is... https://www.scmp.com/article/967832/super-horse-proves-hes-too-strong-his-rivals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/967832/super-horse-proves-hes-too-strong-his-rivals?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 May 2011 16:00:00 +0000 A weakening currency and an acknowledgment that 'the business is heading in the right direction' are the factors behind the Jockey Club's HK$40 million prize money injection next season which will also see the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile become the world's richest mile on turf. The club yesterday announced a package of prize money increases across all classes, with the headliner among them an extra HK$4 million for the Hong Kong Mile to take it to HK$20 million and level with the Hong Kong Cup... https://www.scmp.com/article/967476/hk40m-fillip-race-against-declining-dollar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/967476/hk40m-fillip-race-against-declining-dollar?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 May 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Hong Kong's gun four-year-olds and the promise of a soft tempo hold the key to the HK$12 million BMW Champions Mile at Sha Tin today with the Caspar Fownes-trained Lucky Nine perfectly poised to take out the race. The Champions Mile has been the preserve of the local entries in six runnings as an international race and, despite the improved standard of the foreign raiders this year, that promises to play out again in what is an evenly matched field. Tempo is going to decide the outcome, as it... https://www.scmp.com/article/965973/outstanding-tactical-abilities-give-lucky-nine-edge-champions-mile?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/965973/outstanding-tactical-abilities-give-lucky-nine-edge-champions-mile?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Apr 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Leading big-race trainer John Moore has been warning for weeks that star miler Able One would not be at his best for Monday's HK$12 million BMW Champions Mile but a workout this week left Moore and jockey Darren Beadman having qualms about that original view. Beadman will ride the stable pick of Moore's four runners, Xtension, but told the trainer yesterday he didn't think there was much between the Derby runner-up and dual Champions Mile winner Able One. 'Darren rode Xtension this morning and... https://www.scmp.com/article/965817/able-one-erases-moores-doubts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/965817/able-one-erases-moores-doubts?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Apr 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Hong Kong will host the strongest BMW Champions Mile in the history of the HK$12 million Group One race later this month after a change of plans for Dubai Duty Free winner Presvis. The Champions Mile has previously been the least patronised of Hong Kong's six Group One internationals each season but that will change this year, with Presvis headlining a full field of top milers strong enough to relegate former Horse Of The Year Good Ba Ba to the role of first reserve on April 25. Six of the 14... https://www.scmp.com/article/964389/addition-presvis-gives-hk-strongest-champions-mile-yet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/964389/addition-presvis-gives-hk-strongest-champions-mile-yet?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Apr 2011 16:00:00 +0000 We have bagged them often enough so well done to the classifications committee at the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) last week for reminding everyone that the best horse around can actually be a sprinter and can be from somewhere other than Europe or the United States. Hey, even reminding themselves for that matter. Australian sprinter Black Caviar's ascent to a 130 rating and the top of the world charts was a breakthrough moment for the international classifications,... https://www.scmp.com/article/964283/rails?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/964283/rails?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Apr 2011 16:00:00 +0000 John Moore got the Lunar New Year off to a roaring start with four wins, including the Chairman's Sprint Prize with Dim Sum and the Chinese New Year Cup with Sunny King, and won't be far off a success with Business As Usual after a luckless effort in the Class Two Fat Choi Handicap. His new arrival had absolutely no luck in the straight when held up behind the tiring New Glory before copping a check from Fat Choy Oohlala at the 200m when trying to switch inside for a run. He eventually finished... https://www.scmp.com/article/737622/talented-imports-business-usual-and-summer-dash-loaded-rich-pedigree?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/737622/talented-imports-business-usual-and-summer-dash-loaded-rich-pedigree?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Caspar Fownes may have lost his main flag bearer for today's Group One Stewards' Cup (1,600m), but Young Elite can represent the yard with honour and score an upset in the Sha Tin feature. The six-year-old has already bled twice in his career and, under Hong Kong's three strikes and out policy, the end of that career may come at any time but he has always promised to make it as a Group One horse, and he gets his chance in a tricky start to the Triple Crown. First run back from the break forced... https://www.scmp.com/article/737158/young-elite-can-make-lost-time-stewards-cup?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/737158/young-elite-can-make-lost-time-stewards-cup?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Jan 2011 16:00:00 +0000 When Egyptian Ra retired last year, probably few realised how much he would be missed but trainer Caspar Fownes is acutely aware of that loss as he seeks to turn around the form between Thumbs Up and Hong Kong Mile winner Beauty Flash in the Group One Stewards' Cup on Sunday. The bold front-running tactics of Egyptian Ra ensured a regular speed in his races and his rivals had their chance to run him down if good enough, but the tempo of the top miles has changed. The Fownes-trained Thumbs Up... https://www.scmp.com/article/736960/lack-speed-stewards-cup-worries-fownes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/736960/lack-speed-stewards-cup-worries-fownes?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Jan 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Caspar Fownes declared Lucky Nine 'a future international performer' after the gelding landed the Group One Mercedes-Benz Classic Mile in hollow style yesterday. The margin may only have been a 13/4 lengths and there was encouragement for the future among those chasing him home, but Lucky Nine (Brett Prebble) was never in any real danger of losing the race. 'He jumped nicely, he was on the bridle early but he came back under me at the 600m - I think stepping off the tempo of the 1,200m sprints... https://www.scmp.com/article/736583/lucky-nine-world-star-making?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/736583/lucky-nine-world-star-making?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Jan 2011 16:00:00 +0000 While Little Bridge and Let Me Fight took their slice of the high ground last Saturday at Sha Tin as coming stars of the sprinter-miler ranks, with Lucky Nine at home in his box, it is the milers rather than sprinters which are looking to be bolstered by them in the immediate future. That was clear from the eight entries received for the Group One Kent & Curwen Centenary Sprint Cup on Sunday week, the first of the season's Group One domestic sprints that make up the Hong Kong Speed Series. With... https://www.scmp.com/article/734800/young-sprinters-aim-chalk-miles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/734800/young-sprinters-aim-chalk-miles?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Jan 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Paco Boy has played second-fiddle to wonder mare Goldikova for much of his career, but as the highest-rated runner competing at this year's Turf World Championships, the horse gets his chance in the spotlight for an encore in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile (1,600m). It is a great honour trainer Richard Hannon has chosen the Hong Kong Mile as the final race for his soon-to-be stallion - and world-class jockey Ryan Moore will be under no illusions as to his role in sending Paco Boy out a... https://www.scmp.com/article/733154/highest-rated-paco-boy-get-his-day-sun?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/733154/highest-rated-paco-boy-get-his-day-sun?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Dec 2010 16:00:00 +0000 He has shaken the Sha Tin stand to its foundations for the past three years, and if Good Ba Ba can win his fourth straight Hong Kong Mile for trainer Michael Chang Chun-wai, the Jockey Club might need to work overtime on the new facility at Conghua. The 'Ho Ba Ba' chant has been an enduring memory of the recent international meetings and if the eight-year-old crowd favourite can make it a quartet the stand is likely to be torn down in delirium. 'He's still got the quality, there is no doubt... https://www.scmp.com/article/732729/pace-could-deny-good-ba-ba-title-no-4?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/732729/pace-could-deny-good-ba-ba-title-no-4?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:00:00 +0000 Even the 'early crow' couldn't stop Lucky Nine yesterday as he made good horses look second rate in the Group Three National Day Cup (1,400m) to give trainer Caspar Fownes some thinking to do. Lucky Nine (Brett Prebble) jumped well, camped behind the lead, then had rivals doing a double take as he streaked away with his first run in Group company. 'He was never going to lose. When I came up so easily next to Aashiq at the 300m, his rider Jeff Lloyd thought he must have gone too slow early... https://www.scmp.com/article/726348/fownes-taking-one-step-time-lucky-nine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/726348/fownes-taking-one-step-time-lucky-nine?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:00:00 +0000 Owners rarely feature in our end of season reviews, but the people who pay the training bills managed to push their way to the front of the action this season. Good Ba Ba's owner, John Yuen Se-kit, proved the highlight, his August transfer of the champion miler from Andreas Schutz to Derek Cruz for no particular reason - though feng shui got a mention in reports - only the beginning. Good Ba Ba won an historic third Hong Kong Mile under Cruz, but that wasn't enough to save Olivier Doleuze, who... https://www.scmp.com/article/719963/owner-trainer-rifts-force-club-act?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/719963/owner-trainer-rifts-force-club-act?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jul 2010 16:00:00 +0000 Strong bidding and a higher than expected average price resulted in another successful Hong Kong International Sale in December - much to the relief of organisers who feared a severe downturn in light of the bleak economic climate. The sale is most famous for bringing three-time Hong Kong International Mile winner Good Ba Ba to Hong Kong, but December's renewal may have unearthed a new pin-up boy to carry the flag for the sale into coming seasons. In a promising sign for the Jockey Club's sale... https://www.scmp.com/article/719966/international-sale-hit-even-troubled-economic-times?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/719966/international-sale-hit-even-troubled-economic-times?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jul 2010 16:00:00 +0000 Just when the Good Ba Ba saga was looking complete, current trainer Andreas Schutz said yesterday he expected the champion miler to leave his yard again without having a race. Schutz said Good Ba Ba's owner, John Yuen Se-kit, had been unable to make a meeting scheduled for yesterday morning, so he is awaiting confirmation but is aware that two other trainers have been approached to take the star gelding and Yuen's other two horses. 'I'm still waiting to meet with the owner, but I believe Good... https://www.scmp.com/article/715505/good-ba-ba-move-again-deal-sours?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/715505/good-ba-ba-move-again-deal-sours?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 May 2010 16:00:00 +0000