Hong Kong Racing Study Guide: Champions Aplenty This Weekend At Sha Tin

Once a sprinter and then a middle-distance runner capable of doing more, he even beat three-time Horse of the Year Golden Sixty in the 2022 G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile. But his next nine starts only showed two Group 2 stakes wins to his credit. Trainer Tony Cruz changed tactics two starts back with new rider Brent Avdulla who sent him to the front where he never looked back in the G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup beating not only Lucky Sweynesse but emerging superstar Galaxy Patch.

That win propelled California Spangle to Dubai where he won the G1 Al Quoz Sprint down the straightaway at Meydan in track record time for the 1,200 meters. His main competition looks like it will come from Japanese invader Mad Cool. The Irish-bred son of Dark Angel is the second-highest rated runner in the field and with only 12 lifetime starts at the age of five, he looks like he still has some upside. Examining his past performances, he shows four straight wins two years ago with one of his wins going 1,200 meters in 1:06.90 seconds!

Mad Cool won his first Group 1 stakes race last out in Japan over a yielding course. Finishing third was the speedy Victor the Winner who held on well for third but owns a group one win at course and distance.

California Spangle and Victor the Winner have similar running styles and could cancel each other out. Two Group 1 sprints 20 days apart last month with a trip to Dubai thrown in may be too much for even California Spangle to handle. Victor the Winner will be battling but I think that Mad Cool, second start off the layoff with the right running style (stalk and pounce), can pull off the mild upset for the Rising Sun team.

Golden Sixty has won the G1 FWD Champions Mile the past three years and goes for another record-breaking win as the three-time Horse of the Year makes what might be his last career start at the age of eight. His records are too numerous to list here and comes off a sensational win in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile last out when he showed his brilliant turn of foot.

He had a physical setback after the race but trainer Francis Lui seems to have him on the right track with a pair of strong barrier trials where he looked like he was still defying his age. Lui would only run him if he is physically at his best so this could be a coronation for an epic farewell.

Competition should come from Voyage Bubble, second to Golden Sixty in the Longines Hong Kong Mile and a sharp winner of the G1 Stewards Cup in January. Galaxy Patch was a sensational second in the Derby and Pierre Ng has taught him to relax early and display his devastating stretch kick.

Golden Sixty, at level weights, still looks too tough but his margin of error is shrinking. He will have to be at his best to pull this off and even those that will bet against him will be cheering him on.

The G1 FWD QEII Cup has allowed Romantic Warrior to make his own history; winning this race the past two years. He has wins against the next seven highest-rated entrants so I can’t see any of them turning things around at level weights. It’s a good field but none have shown the talent that Romantic Warrior brings to the table.

So that leaves us with Massive Sovereign. Winner of the BMW Hong Kong Derby going Sunday’s 2,000-meter distance in only his second start in Hong Kong, the son of No Nay Never broke two minutes in that race and a repeat performance of that puts him in the mix here. He had an interesting barrier trial at Happy Valley on April 19 when he rallied strongly up the inside going 1,700 meters and has looked right at home since arriving here. I’m not sure he can win but surely can beat everyone not named Romantic Warrior.