The much-anticipated Group One QEII Cup (2,000m) has been reduced to a field of nine after the withdrawals of Japan’s Museum Mile and a trio of locals on Monday.
Connections of dual Group One winner Museum Mile confirmed to the Jockey Club on Monday that he won’t take his place.
Reports in Japan on the weekend indicated connections had been told by the Jockey Club he was unlikely to pass a Hong Kong vet inspection, based on videos of his gait.
Classic Cup (1,800m) winner Stormy Grove has also been withdrawn as expected, while the John Size-trained Ensued – who ran fourth to Tastiera in last year’s QEII Cup – and Tony Cruz’s in-form Gentlemen Legacy were also scratched on Monday.
Museum Mile’s withdrawal takes some shine off the HK$30 million feature, but there will still be plenty of excitement around the clash between Hong Kong champion Romantic Warrior, Japan’s Masquerade Ball, French star Sosie and Britain’s Royal Champion.
As it stands, the field of nine will be the smallest since Romantic Warrior bagged his second of three consecutive QEII Cups when he dominated six rivals in 2023.
Small fields have been a trend in Hong Kong’s third-richest race in recent years. Japan’s Loves Only You – one of only two fillies or mares to win the QEII – and Exultant also won in fields of seven in 2021 and 2020 respectively.
Romantic Warrior will warm up for his shot at a record-extending fourth QEII when he trials over 1,600m at Sha Tin on Tuesday morning, while the international raiders for the three Group Ones on FWD Champions Day will arrive in Hong Kong on Friday and over the weekend.
In other Champions Day news, Oisin Murphy has been booked to ride Royal Champion in the QEII and Comanche Brave in the Group One Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1,200m).
Murphy retains the ride on Royal Champion after guiding the Karl Burke-trained galloper to victory in the Group One Neom Turf Cup in Riyadh in February at his last start.
Comanche Brave, a two-time winner for Irish trainer Donnacha O’Brien, faces the daunting challenge of taking on the world’s best sprinter Ka Ying Rising. He has been placed in the Abu Dhabi Gold Cup (1,600m) and Group Two Turf Sprint (1,351m) in his past two starts.
Top Australian jockey Mark Zahra will ride the Harry Eustace-trained Docklands in the Group One Champions Mile.
Yuen off to fast start
Apprentice Nichola Yuen Hang-yiu has certainly made her mark in her first three meetings in Hong Kong, booting home four winners from just 18 rides for an outstanding strike rate of 22 per cent.
Trainers have been taking advantage of the 25-year-old’s 10lb claim and she will be in higher demand on the back of her Sha Tin double for master trainer Ricky Yiu Poon-fai on Sunday.
Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges was delighted to see Yuen’s successful start and having two female riders on the roster, with fellow apprentice Britney Wong Po-ni the other.
“Obviously we have a very competent, young girl who is doing very well and seems to be building up a fan base,” Engelbrecht-Bresges said of Yuen.
“This is what we always wanted, to have talents here – not only males but females who deserve to ride here. That’s very encouraging.”
