Sunday morning sees the latest international showstopper take place at the Hong Kong track of Sha Tin, as runners travel from far and wide to tackle the four Group 1 contests on offer. The Hong Kong Vase, Hong Kong Sprint, and Hong Kong Mile each offer over £2.5m in total prize money, but the headline act comes in the shape of the £4m+ Hong Kong Cup.
Held over a trip of 1m2f and taking place on turf, this valuable contest is a significant late-season target for the leading European yards. France has claimed the prize on three occasions, the UK three times, but Ireland only once. Surprisingly, that victory was provided, not by Aidan O’Brien, but by Jim Bolger, who saddled Alexander Goldrun to victory in 2004.
Prize Eluded Ballydoyle So Far
Whilst O’Brien has yet to add the Hong Kong Cup to his international trophy collection, he has come pretty close in the past. The Galileo filly Magic Wand came with a late charge in 2019, but the line came too soon as she went down by just a short head to the Japanese runner Win Bright.
One year later, the wonderful seven-time Group 1 winner Magical couldn’t quite add to her tally when crossing the line in third. It was then a case of close but no cigar in 2023 as Luxembourg’s late flourish failed by a short head.
Flying Fillies Head East in 2024
Three defeats by a combined distance of less than a length represent a frustrating return. Perhaps this will be the year that an O’Brien-trained runner finally gets their nose in front. Having come so close with a pair of fillies in the past, the Ballydoyle maestro relies on the fairer sex again in 2024, with the following duo featuring in the final 11-runner field.
- Content – By Galileo and out of the Group 1 winning sprinter Meccas Angel, Content rounded off her juvenile campaign with an unlucky in running fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. That effort suggested it wouldn’t be long before she claimed a first career Group 1. However, she had to wait until the fifth start of her Classic campaign to get the job done when staying on best to claim the Yorkshire Oaks over 1m4f. Last sighted finishing sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, this trip may be short of her optimum, but she could come into contention if they go hard up front
- Wingspan – By Dubawi and out of the Group 1 winning mare Hydrangea, Wingspan is another beautifully bred sort. A late bloomer when compared to Content, she only made her three-year-old debut in August but has earned her place in the lineup with a Listed win and placed efforts in Group 3, Group 2, and Group 1 company. She’s more open to improvement than her stablemate, but Ryan Moore opts to ride Content
Formidable Home Challenge
Andrew Balding’s The Foxes and the Richard Fahey-trained Spirit Dancer add British interest to the field, but it is a Hong Kong-based superstar who looks set to start as the red-hot favourite.
Hailing from the yard of Danny Shum, the six-year-old Romantic Warrior heads to Sha Tin on a six-race winning streak, with five of those triumphs coming in Group 1 company. Having run away with the 2022 edition in a course record time and narrowly mastered Luxembourg in 2023, the most famous horse in his homeland bids to cement his legacy by becoming the first three-time winner in Hong Kong Cup history. Will he do it? Or can one of the raiding party cause a shock? 8:40 am (UK time) on Sunday is the time to tune in and find out.