https://www.scmp.com/rss/8160/feed Alan Aitken has worked in all facets of the media and was the master of the famous AJC Punters Podium at Sydney racecourses for many years. He was one of Australia's most respected racing journalists over almost two decades with The Sydney Morning Herald before joining SCMP in 2001. Alan also has extensive magazine and radio experience and is a respected racing form analyst. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com After all the idiosyncratic excuses and lunatic losses and bets flushed in so many circumstances over the journey of the past year, the love of Hong Kong’s punters for a flawed genius exploded in full voice as Pakistan Star set the perfect seal on an inaugural Champions Day on Sunday. Racing fans have had a monkey grip relationship with Pakistan Star since he set the internet aflame as a baby – the more they pulled away, the tighter they were bound to him. He had stopped running in trials and... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143944/all-forgiven-real-pakistan-star-stands-champions-day?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143944/all-forgiven-real-pakistan-star-stands-champions-day?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Apr 2018 15:14:05 +0000 Ivictory threatened to run out of rating for most of the last 200m of the Chairman’s Sprint Prize after being tossed in at the deep end by John Size, but he swam instead of sinking to give the yard a clean sweep of the season’s short Group Ones and a new season’s prize money record. Size has dominated the sprint stakes races this season so comprehensively that only the first of them, the Group Three National Day Cup, eluded him; he has had the quinella in most of them and his stable tierce of... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143939/ivictory-john-sizes-challenge-chairmans-sprint-prize?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143939/ivictory-john-sizes-challenge-chairmans-sprint-prize?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Apr 2018 14:51:53 +0000 If the aftercard to the Group Ones on Champions Day was intended to highlight the next crop of stars, the operation was a success, even if one patient died. Boom three-year-old sprinter Hot King Prawn came to his first run beyond 1,000m and first around a bend, touted as the next big thing to take on stablemates Ivictory, Mr Stunning and Beat The Clock next season. His unbeaten record went by the wayside but he still did nothing to dissuade his trainer or anyone else that he’s on that path. “He... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143936/boom-sprinter-hot-king-prawn-beaten-not-disgraced?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143936/boom-sprinter-hot-king-prawn-beaten-not-disgraced?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Apr 2018 14:34:50 +0000 A runaway leader on the way to a 10th training championship from 17 attempts; within reach of John Moore’s prize money record with a third of a season left; market dominance in two of the three Group Ones and chances in all of them – John Size goes to the Champions Day stage at the peak of his powers. His freshly minted 94-win record from last year’s championship is looking vaguely vulnerable and the 63-year-old’s yard bristles with not just a great team of high-class gallopers now but the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143850/its-best-opportunity-ive-ever-had-john-size-his-stable-stars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143850/its-best-opportunity-ive-ever-had-john-size-his-stable-stars?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Apr 2018 12:21:57 +0000 The cramped overnight odds look a misleading guide to his chances but the John Size-trained Ping Hai Star can place his name alongside up with some local legends by winning the HK$24 million Audemars Piguet QE II Cup at Sha Tin. Ping Hai Star (Joao Moreira) looked every bit the real deal with his last-to-first Derby win to overwhelm his own age group last month. If he was guaranteed to turn up like that again and with the right pace in the race for him, then he might be a legitimate short-odds... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143845/john-sizes-ping-hai-star-set-shine-group-one-qe-ii-cup?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143845/john-sizes-ping-hai-star-set-shine-group-one-qe-ii-cup?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Apr 2018 11:42:55 +0000 Sam Clipperton is a little overwhelmed by the circumstances of his call up for Mr Stunning in Sunday’s Chairman’s Sprint Prize but says he is approaching the race with a calm confidence. Clipperton was already booked for the John Size-trained Western Express in the Champions Mile and eagerly looking forward to a chance at his first Hong Kong Group One in that race, before the events of Wednesday saw Nash Rawiller disqualified and Size looking for a rider for the Hong Kong Sprint winner. “They... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143564/nash-rawillers-disqualification-gives-sam-clipperton-chance-mr-stunning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143564/nash-rawillers-disqualification-gives-sam-clipperton-chance-mr-stunning?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Apr 2018 11:42:37 +0000 Barrier draws for big races can be a mixed bag but the totality of Thursday’s Champions Day lottery for starting positions seemed to be that nobody went away unhappy. That was mostly down to the small fields in the three Group Ones, with no double-digit barrier draws to dampen anyone’s enthusiasm. If there were a couple of queries, they had more to do with the odd hint here and there of potential obstacles from a lower draw rather than a high one. Beat The Clock didn’t appear best served in the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143563/beat-clock-pakistan-star-and-beauty-generation-draw-inside-alleys?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143563/beat-clock-pakistan-star-and-beauty-generation-draw-inside-alleys?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Apr 2018 11:40:07 +0000 Punters who keep having to take short prices about the Chris So Wai-yin-trained Eighty Eighty might be wondering why they do it to themselves after breathing a sigh of relief that his number went up on Wednesday night. It hasn’t been an easy watch for his fans overall, as the gelding has been a short-priced favourite at four of his five races, but he was dogged and courageous on Wednesday and Eighty Eighty is definitely a horse to keep following in Class Three. The gelding has done well for his... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143560/his-win-was-only-narrow-stick-chris-sos-eighty-eighty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143560/his-win-was-only-narrow-stick-chris-sos-eighty-eighty?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Apr 2018 10:33:07 +0000 Great jockey championships happen in slow motion but if this season’s title race could be said to have had a moment when the vague mirage of a contest between Joao Moreira and Zac Purton took on real form, it was the final race at Happy Valley on Wednesday night. A white-hot Purton had already slammed home four winners to Moreira’s one, closing his deficit to eight wins. But when it looked to all the world like the Magic Man had edged his lead out again when Storm Signal hit the line with... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143356/title-race-alive-zac-purton-snares-five-happy-valley?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143356/title-race-alive-zac-purton-snares-five-happy-valley?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Apr 2018 15:53:43 +0000 The last time Blizzard ran over anything further than 1,400 metres, he was four years old and undergoing the regular rite of passage for good horses of that age in Hong Kong, persevering his way through classic events that were not really his forte. He soldiered through bravely with placings in the Classic Mile and Classic Cup before failing in the Derby, then trainer Ricky Yiu Poon-fai switched him back to sprinting for his next 15 starts. So, with Blizzard coming off a solid fifth in the Group... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143253/blizzard-stretches-out-champions-mile-lion-city-riches-are-ricky-yius?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143253/blizzard-stretches-out-champions-mile-lion-city-riches-are-ricky-yius?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Apr 2018 06:12:43 +0000 Tommy Berry will undergo an MRI scan on Thursday to clear him of any lingering issues after Tuesday’s heavy barrier trial fall before he is cleared to ride at Sha Tin’s Champions Day on Sunday. Berry fell at the Sha Tin trials on Tuesday when Agree collapsed and died under him, but the jockey was confident there would be no interruption to his week as he heads towards Champions Day on Sunday with the sit on the talented Japanese visitors, Fine Needle (Chairman’s Sprint Prize) and Danburite... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143237/tommy-berry-fighting-fit-after-trial-fall-says-fine-needle-ready?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143237/tommy-berry-fighting-fit-after-trial-fall-says-fine-needle-ready?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Apr 2018 05:02:55 +0000 Money Boy managed to pull a good effort out at Sha Tin last time out but he has preferred Happy Valley all season and should take some beating there on Wednesday night in the Korea Racing Authority Trophy (1,000m). The John Size-trained gelding has been super consistent, if a rare winner, and gets a race set-up that will really suit his run-on style. Four starts ago, Money Boy (Brett Prebble) swamped his rivals late to win a Class Three over the distance at Happy Valley and there are... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143143/john-sizes-money-boy-can-run-over-top-his-rivals-happy-valley?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143143/john-sizes-money-boy-can-run-over-top-his-rivals-happy-valley?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Apr 2018 11:10:41 +0000 The small fields for the three Group Ones on Sunday are symptomatic of a changing landscape, both in the spread of quality animals but also the attitudes of owners and trainers. The Jockey Club has been hard hit by illnesses and injuries and weather for its numbers. The popular wisdom is Aidan O’Brien’s three invitees for the day were not actually planning to come and were window dressing, although we have sources who assert that couldn’t be more wrong and a brutal winter in Ireland set the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143100/why-are-there-small-fields-group-ones-champions-day?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2143100/why-are-there-small-fields-group-ones-champions-day?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Apr 2018 08:15:15 +0000 Some nice Hong Kong debut runs fill the black book from racing on Saturday, with three-year-old Emerald Spur catching the eye behind Gracious Ryder and five-time Italian winner, Xiang Bai Qi, making a good impression in the last race. Emerald Spur had indicated some good ability in his barrier trials so his strong-finishing fourth on the weekend was not a complete surprise but it certainly confirmed what he had shown. His lack of early speed was always going to come against him from a wide draw... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2142969/emerald-spur-xiang-bai-qi-impress-their-hong-kong-debuts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2142969/emerald-spur-xiang-bai-qi-impress-their-hong-kong-debuts?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Apr 2018 10:30:11 +0000 The old band is back together and the forgotten horse of Sunday’s Chairman’s Sprint Prize is looking for a redemption that could also reshape the season of one of the forgotten jockeys. Brett Prebble’s tally of 18 Group Ones in Hong Kong alone stands out among the riders in the feature sprint on Sunday and includes four prior wins in the race on Lucky Nine (twice), Sacred Kingdom and Absolute Champion. But time moves on and, while he isn’t the only one, it’s no secret the going has been... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2142908/redemption-wind-forgotten-lucky-bubbles-and-brett-prebble-get-back?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2142908/redemption-wind-forgotten-lucky-bubbles-and-brett-prebble-get-back?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Apr 2018 06:28:16 +0000 A pair for Zac Purton at Sha Tin again trimmed a little off Joao Moreira’s advantage in a jockeys’ championship this season that is leaning dangerously towards being competitive. At Happy Valley midweek, Purton landed a winning treble without reply and on Saturday it was a double to Moreira’s single as talented three-year-olds Handsome Bo Bo and Ugly Warrior took another step up the ladder. Looking a little deeper, Purton’s past four race meetings have yielded 11 wins from 35 rides, and... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2142770/title-race-heating-zac-purton-eats-joao-moreiras-lead-again?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2142770/title-race-heating-zac-purton-eats-joao-moreiras-lead-again?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Apr 2018 14:04:07 +0000 It would be wrong to say Italian jockey Umberto Rispoli will miss Audemars Piguet QE II Cup day next Sunday – he won’t miss it, just won’t be riding after electing to take a suspension instead. “I don’t have rides in the three big races, I didn’t have many others because there are quite a few jockeys flying in and so they will take up some of the rides in the supporting races. It’s not important to me to ride on the big day if all I have is a couple of slow rides. It’s better I take my... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2142768/umberto-rispoli-elects-sit-out-champions-day-suspension?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2142768/umberto-rispoli-elects-sit-out-champions-day-suspension?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Apr 2018 13:56:38 +0000 Stewards found boom three-year-old Harmony Hero pulled up lame after getting buried in the ruck in an anticlimactic Class Two on Saturday. Harmony Hero looked to have little excuse for his ninth as a warm favourite behind the Benno Yung Tin-pang-trained Coby Boy (Keith Yeung Ming-lun) but the Jockey Club vets later found him to be lame in the left front leg. “We got some luck, we got the good draw today after a bad barrier last time but we also had some luck with the favourite failing,” Yung... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2142764/coby-boy-salutes-favourite-harmony-hero-pulls-lame?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2142764/coby-boy-salutes-favourite-harmony-hero-pulls-lame?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Apr 2018 13:46:44 +0000 Champion jockey Joao Moreira looks the key factor for improving Amazing Satchmo as he looks for back-to-back wins in the Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Trophy (1,400m) at Sha Tin on Saturday. The David Ferraris-trained Amazing Satchmo is lightly raced and giving every impression he is going to make his mark in Class Three in time so this Class Four trophy event should be within his scope. The challenge is that he is dropping back from 1,600m when he finished powerfully into a close third behind... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2142688/amazing-satchmo-looks-hard-beat-sha-tin-joao-moreira-saddle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2142688/amazing-satchmo-looks-hard-beat-sha-tin-joao-moreira-saddle?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Apr 2018 12:11:57 +0000 The Richard Gibson-trained three-year-old Victory Power caught the eye of the stewards on Wednesday night at Happy Valley and looks a black booker from the meeting after a nice debut. The gelding had shown ability in his trials in New Zealand and again at his second Hong Kong trial appearance, after Gibson fitted him with blinkers and he looked ready to take to the race with a knockout sort of a chance. That chance probably disappeared when Victory Power drew wide at the 1,200m start on... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2142463/richard-gibsons-victory-power-catches-eye-debut?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2142463/richard-gibsons-victory-power-catches-eye-debut?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Apr 2018 09:58:40 +0000 Zac Purton returned from suspension to dominate the Happy Valley card and land his 800th Hong Kong winner in unusual circumstances. Purton sat out the past two meetings over a suspension incurred in a trip to the Sydney carnival but he was back with a bang winning the opening Class Five on the David Ferraris-trained Raichu to become the fourth jockey ever to reach 800 wins. What was unusual about that was Purton very rarely rides for Ferraris and Raichu was his third mount for the stable this... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2142340/zac-purton-notches-his-800th-hong-kong-winner?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2142340/zac-purton-notches-his-800th-hong-kong-winner?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Apr 2018 16:02:43 +0000 When the Hong Kong Jockey Club paid A$1 million (HK$6.1 million) for a yearling colt at the Sydney Easter Yearling sales last week, there was a line crossed for the first time. When the dust cleared, the Jockey Club was, by any metric, one of the top entities to purchase more than three horses – second to Sheikh Hamdan’s Shadwell Stud on aggregate, second to James Harron Bloodstock on average, and leading by median price paid. How you assess the importance of the statistics allows for variation... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2142148/paying-higher-prices-yearlings-isnt-guarantee-better-horse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2142148/paying-higher-prices-yearlings-isnt-guarantee-better-horse?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Apr 2018 11:34:20 +0000 The Danny Shum Chap-shing-trained Travel Emperor presents one of the classic racing puzzles on Wednesday night in the Hong Kong Rugby Union Cup (1,200m), but it’s a race he can win if he can produce his best. The question that sits over Travel Emperor (Derek Leung Ka-chun) is whether he can perform at Happy Valley, where he has never raced or even barrier trialled. We have seen a number of horses this season fail to handle the Valley track at their first look, but it’s hard to hang a horse for... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2142142/can-travel-emperor-handle-unique-happy-valley-circuit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2142142/can-travel-emperor-handle-unique-happy-valley-circuit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Apr 2018 11:16:29 +0000 John Moore-trained Ruthven will be forced to miss the HK$24 million Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup on April 29 because of regulations governing official veterinary examinations. After running below expectations in the Class Two staying event at Sha Tin on Sunday, an endoscopic inspection initially showed mucus in Ruthven’s trachea. However, soon afterwards, the stewards reported “a substantial amount of blood” and imposed the standard requirement of an official veterinary examination... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2142041/ruthven-out-qe-ii-cup-vet-test-embargoed-after-blood-trachea-finding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2142041/ruthven-out-qe-ii-cup-vet-test-embargoed-after-blood-trachea-finding?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Apr 2018 03:54:35 +0000 Strathspey didn’t get the protest decision connections were seeking at Sha Tin on Sunday and that was the right call but there’s no doubt he should have won and the lightly raced three-year-old looks on the rise. The Tony Millard-trained youngster was squeezed out at the start of the sixth race on Sunday and raced back in the field before meeting traffic trouble in the run down the straight. Connections threw in an objection over an incident at the top of the straight when eventual winner... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2141960/tony-millards-promising-strathspey-puts-writing-wall-sha-tin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2141960/tony-millards-promising-strathspey-puts-writing-wall-sha-tin?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Apr 2018 10:48:45 +0000 In typical John Size fashion, the champion trainer was not committing to any particular path post-race but the Group Three Queen Mother Memorial Cup must surely be beckoning for Prawn Baba after he upstaged the Derby horses on Sunday. Faced with the Derby third and fourth, Exultant (Brett Prebble) and Ruthven (Tommy Berry) and some handy lightweights, Prawn Baba was sent out a double figure chance for the Kowloon Cricket Club Centenary Cup (2,200m) but saw them off to claim just his third... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2141819/john-sizes-prawn-baba-finds-his-rhythm-and-upsets-derby-horses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2141819/john-sizes-prawn-baba-finds-his-rhythm-and-upsets-derby-horses?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Apr 2018 14:37:36 +0000 When griffin racing was a larger part of the season than it has become in recent years, trainer John Moore carried an almost Harry Potter-esque nickname in the racing press, “The Griffin Master”, and he again showed why when he worked his wizardry for a rousing debut by Styling City on Sunday. In the Ling family colours which have been carried to high level success by the likes of Charming City, Sterling City and Leading City, Styling City was able to replicate a winning debut by another... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2141815/john-moore-strikes-again-styling-city-dominates-debut-sha-tin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2141815/john-moore-strikes-again-styling-city-dominates-debut-sha-tin?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Apr 2018 14:12:19 +0000 One opinion was that “he’s not human” after Umberto Rispoli won on the Michael Freedman-trained Fiama at Sha Tin just 23 days after breaking his collarbone in three places following a nasty fall in a barrier trial. He immediately vowed that he would be back in record time and asked trainers not to give his rides to other jockeys. It seemed a bold call at the time but Rispoli resumed last week and Fiama was only his 13th ride back from the injury, successfully resuming an association the Italian... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2141814/umberto-rispoli-wins-fiama-just-23-days-after-smashing-his-collarbone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2141814/umberto-rispoli-wins-fiama-just-23-days-after-smashing-his-collarbone?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Apr 2018 14:10:41 +0000 The 2018 Hong Kong Derby horses step out in distance in a wide open Kowloon Cricket Club Centenary Cup (2,200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday as they test their credentials going toward longer black type features next month, but the year-older Prawn Baba can upstage them. With the Queen Mother Memorial Cup and Champions & Chater Cup coming up over 2,400m, this is the chance to see which of the classic types will look for a Group win there and the past three runnings of this race have been won by... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2141743/prawn-baba-set-sizzle-and-upstage-hong-kong-derby-contestants-sha-tin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2141743/prawn-baba-set-sizzle-and-upstage-hong-kong-derby-contestants-sha-tin?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Apr 2018 11:42:23 +0000 On the pace was the place to be at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, with the light bias that we see as often as not when the rail goes back in and that made the effort of Jolly Gains an eye-catcher in the second race. The A course at Happy Valley is very fresh ground on the inside and often – not always but often – looks to give some help to horses racing forward and against the inside and the second event was the race that suggested it was in play to at least some extent on Wednesday. The Tony... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2141471/peter-hos-jolly-gains-catches-eye-happy-valley?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2141471/peter-hos-jolly-gains-catches-eye-happy-valley?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Apr 2018 10:06:59 +0000 The Mauritian Magician Karis Teetan shrugged off a rare drought to bank a winning treble at Happy Valley on a night that required some finesse on a tricky surface. Teetan had a double at the same track on February 7 but had logged just one victory since, with Amazing Satchmo a month ago, before Electric Lightning, Pretty Bauhinia and Breeders’ Star all arrived to give him the night’s riding honours. The Valley track looked to be giving a fair bit of help to horses nearer the speed so Teetan did... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2141337/magician-work-karis-teetan-takes-treble-happy-valley?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2141337/magician-work-karis-teetan-takes-treble-happy-valley?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Apr 2018 16:00:51 +0000 Champion jockey Joao Moreira may get the opportunity for a return to the seat on impressive Hong Kong Derby winner Ping Hai Star in the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup with the announcement that Aidan O’Brien will have a runner in the race. The Jockey Club has released the invited field for the HK$24 million feature, with eight top local middle distance horses joined by three runners from overseas, including the O’Brien-trained War Decree. War Decree is raced in an ownership that includes several... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2141219/does-war-decree-coming-qe-ii-cup-mean-joao-moreira-jumps-ping-hai-star?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2141219/does-war-decree-coming-qe-ii-cup-mean-joao-moreira-jumps-ping-hai-star?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Apr 2018 04:38:50 +0000 The Michael Freedman-trained Silverfield might have been unlucky not to score last time out at Happy Valley but the grey gets his chance to atone for that in the Indian Recreation Club Challenge Cup (1,650m) on Wednesday night. Early in the season, Silverfield was one of Freedman’s first winners here when he bolted in at Sha Tin but the gelding was then disadvantaged by a series of wide draws and other circumstances that didn’t allow him to get into his races. That changed on March 21, when the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2141139/michael-freedmans-silverfield-set-change-luck-happy-valley?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2141139/michael-freedmans-silverfield-set-change-luck-happy-valley?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Apr 2018 12:04:28 +0000 The Sprint Cup and the Chairman’s Trophy are the designated lead-ups to the three spring Group Ones on April 29 but how well those results might be replicated in three weeks’ time is up for argument. Although the April 29 meeting has been called by the Jockey Club as Champions Day, we’re not actually running with that. The marketing team should be sent back to brainstorm a new tag instead of lazily adopting a line that was already in use for the big October meeting at Ascot in England. Come on.... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2141132/scrap-results-sprint-cup-and-chairmans-trophy-have-no-bearing-upcoming?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2141132/scrap-results-sprint-cup-and-chairmans-trophy-have-no-bearing-upcoming?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Apr 2018 11:30:10 +0000 The Class Three cup race on Sunday was supposed to be all about just three horses but Solar Patch upset the apple cart by winning first-up and even third-placed Intrepic tagged himself as worth following. The John Moore-trained Solar Patch looked to have his share of ability in Australia but didn’t face any easy task to take on some smart horses who were already up and running here and beat them. But beat them he did and that opens up the possibility the son of Stratum is heading for quite a... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2140945/stick-solar-patch-after-strong-first-run-sha-tin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2140945/stick-solar-patch-after-strong-first-run-sha-tin?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Apr 2018 11:24:12 +0000 The Chairman’s Trophy could not have been less like the mile feature races we’ve been seeing all season and that was the key to bringing former Group One star Beauty Only back from the wilderness and from the brink of retirement in a shock result. Not long ago, the Tony Cruz-trained Beauty Only would have been favourite for a race like the designated Champions Mile lead-up but the seven-year-old went out a 36-1 outsider before his old accomplice Neil Callan backed up some positive pre-race talk... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2140816/hot-speed-lets-beauty-only-bounce-back-chairmans-trophy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2140816/hot-speed-lets-beauty-only-bounce-back-chairmans-trophy?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Apr 2018 14:31:52 +0000 Beat The Clock didn’t do anything more than live up to the expectations of champion jockey Joao Moreira when he turned over the Hong Kong Sprint winner Mr Stunning in the Group Two Sprint Cup to throw down his own international credentials. Beat The Clock has been one of the many sprint finds for John Size this season, graduating quickly from a Class Two win in November to racing the very best two months later and his brilliant Group Two win on Sunday was the equivalent of tossing his mortar... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2140815/beat-clock-john-sizes-speedster-does-just-sprint-cup?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2140815/beat-clock-john-sizes-speedster-does-just-sprint-cup?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Apr 2018 14:19:20 +0000 The provincial circuit in the Australian state of Queensland is turning into rich territory for finding future Hong Kong horses and the John Moore-trained Solar Patch joined the list after a smart winning debut at Sha Tin. Given a smart ride by Sam Clipperton, Solar Patch didn’t surprise anyone but the punters who took the odds-on about Lean Perfection when he ran out a convincing winner of the Beijing Clubhouse Anniversary Cup, meaning Moore is assembling some very useful three-year-olds for... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2140812/john-moores-solar-patch-impresses-winning-debut-sha-tin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2140812/john-moores-solar-patch-impresses-winning-debut-sha-tin?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Apr 2018 14:06:08 +0000 The battle between top jockeys Zac Purton and Douglas Whyte in the Group Two Chairman’s Trophy at Sha Tin today might prove a highlight of the race, as well as the key to the winner. Whyte rides Hong Kong Mile and Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup winner Beauty Generation, while Purton gets aboard Time Warp, whose two big wins have been the Hong Kong Cup and Gold Cup over 2,000m. Both horses have a similar style in that they roll forward in their races and then are very tough at the finish and they... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2140729/beauty-generation-can-edge-time-warp-chairmans-trophy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2140729/beauty-generation-can-edge-time-warp-chairmans-trophy?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Apr 2018 12:46:13 +0000 A couple of newcomers with different backgrounds put themselves into our black book for the future at Sha Tin on Monday, with the previously unraced Happy Sebring and more experienced Sumstreetsumwhere looking coming winners. And both of them look like their first Hong Kong assignment was quite unsuitable over 1,200m and they will come into their own as their distances get stretched out. In the third race, won by Star Shine, Sumstreetsumwhere even looked like he might have something wrong with... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2140465/newcomers-happy-sebring-and-sumstreetsumwhere-catch-eye-sha-tin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2140465/newcomers-happy-sebring-and-sumstreetsumwhere-catch-eye-sha-tin?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Apr 2018 11:58:36 +0000 Weight students will be looking to Beat The Clock to turn the tables on stablemate Mr Stunning in the Group Two Sprint Cup on Sunday at Sha Tin but their champion trainer John Size warns there are other factors at work. In January, the Size-trained D B Pin beat Mr Stunning and Beat the Clock in the Centenary Sprint Cup, with the latter pair dead-heating for second placing at level weights. D B Pin is missing through injury this weekend but Size has a third-string in Amazing Kids and a tremendous... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2140438/weight-not-only-factor-between-beat-clock-and-mr-stunning-sprint-cup?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2140438/weight-not-only-factor-between-beat-clock-and-mr-stunning-sprint-cup?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Apr 2018 08:39:38 +0000 Did last week’s dissolution of the Tommy Berry-John Moore partnership finally sound the death knell of the stable-retained rider? We did a piece last year looking back 20 years to a very different composition of the jockeys’ room at the time of the handover – just three club jockeys and eight stable retainers, 21 apprentices and six local freelancers. The retained rider system had its roots in racing as a betting sport even earlier than that, a huge part of which was quietly setting horses up... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2140140/after-end-john-moore-and-tommy-berry-partnership-there-still-place?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2140140/after-end-john-moore-and-tommy-berry-partnership-there-still-place?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Apr 2018 11:12:21 +0000 Champion trainer John Size said the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup is the likely next target for Hong Kong Derby hero Ping Hai Star, provided he gives off all the right signs at Tuesday morning’s barrier trial session. Size’s first Derby winner, Fay Fay, pushed on to the QE II Cup but the trainer switched back to the Champions Mile with his subsequent Derby winner, Luger, in 2015. “Luger did always appeal as more of a miler. Ping Hai Star had a pedigree to run further and the way he relaxed and ran... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2139992/ping-hai-star-set-target-qe-ii-john-size-unveils-another-smart?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2139992/ping-hai-star-set-target-qe-ii-john-size-unveils-another-smart?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Apr 2018 15:07:21 +0000 Trainer Richard Gibson was declaring the horse “a 10” while jockey Nash Rawiller was giving himself the same score after Harmony Hero justified some big wraps in the final race. “I can’t name a better horse, physically, in Hong Kong,” said Gibson after Harmony Hero was made to earn his first local victory. “Having a great physical specimen is 90 per cent of the game and this horse is a brilliant sort. It was no secret that everyone was trying to buy him after his first two starts in Australia... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2139989/i-cant-name-better-horse-physically-hong-kong-richard-gibson-lauds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2139989/i-cant-name-better-horse-physically-hong-kong-richard-gibson-lauds?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Apr 2018 14:44:01 +0000 Douglas Whyte’s first winning double since May last year perhaps wasn’t even the best news he got all day at Sha Tin as John Moore confirmed the Durban Demon would be aboard Beauty Generation in the Group Two Chairman’s Trophy on Sunday. With Zac Purton committed to Time Warp in the race, Whyte takes over on the dual Group One winner. “That’s a lovely ride – I can tell you I’m very happy about that one,” Whyte beamed after delivering Star Shine and Royal Performer with faultless displays. That... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2139988/double-douglas-whyte-he-secures-ride-beauty-generation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2139988/double-douglas-whyte-he-secures-ride-beauty-generation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Apr 2018 14:37:32 +0000 Winning Supreme has turned his form around in a big way since January and the Me Tsui Yu-sak-trained sprinter gets a great chance at some silverware on Monday in the Hong Kong Lions Cup (1,200m) at Sha Tin. The five-year-old took a bit of time and racing to acclimatise to Hong Kong, finishing well back at his first eight appearances with an eighth placing the highlight run. Things looked far from promising at that stage but, if punters think back to last season, Tsui managed to do something... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2139838/me-tsuis-winning-supreme-looks-hard-beat-sha-tin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2139838/me-tsuis-winning-supreme-looks-hard-beat-sha-tin?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Apr 2018 11:33:53 +0000 The Me Tsui Yu-sak-trained Dazzle Winner did not bring much prior form to Happy Valley on Wednesday night but he left the track with his name in plenty of black books. Despite not looking hopeless in one or two early trials, Dazzle Winner was completely outrun in his first six starts, beating home a total of seven rivals but five of those in his first race. Tsui only tried him at distances as far as 1,400m, but his breeding certainly indicated that he would be needing further than that if he was... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2139513/me-tsuis-dazzle-winner-catches-eye-happy-valley?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2139513/me-tsuis-dazzle-winner-catches-eye-happy-valley?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Mar 2018 10:48:54 +0000 Tommy Berry will be the first stable-retained jockey in almost a decade to switch to a club contract after the Jockey Club agreed to the dissolution of his arrangement with trainer John Moore. Berry has endured a difficult season, with only seven of his 13 wins being for Moore and the trainer himself has had 14 winners with outside jockeys aboard. The Jockey Club licensing committee agreed on Thursday to revoke Berry’s stable retained licence and simultaneously issue a club jockey licence for... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2139453/john-moore-and-tommy-berry-end-their-partnership-jockey-stays-sha-tin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2139453/john-moore-and-tommy-berry-end-their-partnership-jockey-stays-sha-tin?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Mar 2018 07:16:57 +0000 The Hong Kong career of Italian jockey Alberto Sanna is starting to look like a case study in persistence after he carried off a double at Happy Valley on Wednesday night including his biggest win yet on Gold Mount. In February, Sanna had been in the doldrums, with two wins since the start of his stint in December, none for seven weeks and he wasn’t attracting the kind of support to change that. But Sanna only worked himself harder, waiting for his luck to turn, and has ridden seven winners in... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2139362/alberto-sanna-has-midas-touch-happy-valley-snaring-double-gold-mount?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2139362/alberto-sanna-has-midas-touch-happy-valley-snaring-double-gold-mount?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Mar 2018 16:09:13 +0000 Leaders, leaders, leaders. It was awfully hard to get away from them at Sha Tin on Sunday. From the seven winners on turf, both 1,000m winners led all the way, Agree, Regency Bo Bo, and Audacity were all in front entering the home straight, Right Call was second and Simply Brilliant was the run-on star of the day, coming from third to score. That may have given the appearance of bias on the turf and there may have been some minor element of that, but largely the circle events were run in a style... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2139172/softer-sha-tin-dirt-proves-biased-towards-front-runners-again?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2139172/softer-sha-tin-dirt-proves-biased-towards-front-runners-again?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Mar 2018 12:31:48 +0000