Golden Sixty looks like old self in speedy Hong Kong Gold Cup triumph

Romantic Warrior is two years younger than Golden Sixty and has made 12 starts to Golden Sixty’s 28. His legs are younger and fresher and the 2000-meter distance of Sunday’s Hong Kong Gold Cup at Sha Tin Race Course hits Romantic Warrior’s sweet spot.

Golden Sixty’s best trip always has been one mile and Sunday, when Romantic Warrior got first run, going for home with three furlongs left to race, trying to empty Golden Sixty’s tank, it should have been game over. Instead, it was game on, Golden Sixty coming steadily down the outside, getting up in the shadow of the wire, and winning by a head.

What a horse. Now widely considered Hong Kong’s best ever, Golden Sixty’s record stands at 28-24-2-1. He has earned $17.4 million and captured eight Group 1 races, twice now winning the Hong Kong Gold Cup. Golden Sixty swept the 4-year-old Classic Series in 2020 and now could win Hong Kong’s Triple Crown – the Stewards Cup, the Hong Kong Gold Cup, and the Champions and Chater Cup – if connections decide to try him at 2,400 meters, farther than Golden Sixty has raced, on May 29.

:: Hong Kong: Free PPs, picks, analysis, replays, and live streaming

Beaten with no apparent excuse Dec. 12 in the Hong Kong Mile, Golden Sixty appeared finally to be declining this winter. Instead, he looks at least as good if not better than ever, rebounding with an emphatic mile win in the Stewards Cup before Sunday’s gallant performance.

And regular rider Vincent Ho, who at times has made things harder than they needed to be with this great horse, leaving Golden Sixty too much to do in the homestretch, rode another perfect race Sunday. His aim from the start was clear – follow Romantic Warrior. And when Golden Sixty lagged a bit early on the backstretch and going into the second turn, Ho niggled his mount along, always keeping Romantic Warrior within range.

Karis Teetan, racing two paths wide with no cover in the early stages, then two wide with cover on the far turn when Ka Ying Star went around him with 1,000 meters left to run, peeled out at the 600-meter mark, turning the race into a test of stamina. Ho followed in his wake, coming outside Romantic Warrior, who wore down pacesetting Money Catcher but couldn’t match Golden Sixty’s finish.

“He was very relaxed today, I even had to ask him a little to keep up today in the back straight and, of course, I had another great horse to follow through and ask for the full effort at the 200,” Ho told Hong Kong Jockey Club publicity. “I just had to stay close [to Romantic Warrior] and don’t let him get away.”

Money Catcher held third, 1 1/2 lengths behind Golden Sixty, who paid $4.60 as the second choice. Winning time over the good-to-firm going was 1:59.98, just the second time in at least 30 years that the Gold Cup winner has cracked the 2:00 mark.

An Australia-bred by Medaglia d’Oro out of Gaudeamus, by Distorted Humor, Golden Sixty is trained by Francis Lui for owner Stanley Chan. Lui likely will point the gelding to the Group 2 Chairman’s Trophy on April 9 as a prep for the Group 1 Champions Mile or the 2,000-meter Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, both on April 30. All being well, it will either be on to the 1 1/2-mile Hong Kong start or the June 4 Yasuda Kinen in Japan. Golden Sixty briefly had been considered for the March 26 Dubai Turf before being kept at home. It would be great to see him travel – it’s also great just watching him go to work at home.

“Honestly, if you go to visit him, he’s the same – you have to be careful,” Lui said. “He will bite you or he will even kick you. He’s always been like that, that’s his character.”

The competitive fire never flames out. Golden Sixty is well worth the trouble.

***HK Classic Cup

Super Sunny Sing jumped into the 4-year-old Classic Series in the second leg Sunday and won the Hong Kong Classic Cup by a half-length. Jockey Vincent Ho was aboard the winner after riding Golden Sixty to victory in the Group 1 Hong Kong Gold Cup.

Winning for the fourth time in a row, Super Sunny Sing came into the 1,800-meter Classic Cup following three straight Class 3 handicap wins. The winner of the series’ first leg, Voyage Bubble, had gone wire to wire in the Hong Kong Classic Mile, but Sunday he was pressured down the backstretch by Sword Point, who took command in upper stretch before Super Sunny Sing rallied from 10th and ran him down. The winning margin was a half-length for Super Sunny Sing, the 2-1 favorite.

Trained by Chris So, Super Sunny Sing is an Australian-bred by Nicconi out of Red Centre, by Rubition. He’ll go on to the Hong Kong Derby next month, but two other potentially stronger candidates for that 2,000-meter race won Sunday.

Beauty Eternal looked especially impressive, rising from Class 3 to Class 2 and stretching out for the first time to 1,600 meters. Running his record to 5-4-0-1, Beauty Eternal traveled powerfully for jockey Zac Purton and won by two lengths while never being asked for anything through the homestretch. He’s a grand-looking gelding by Starspangled Banner with pace and stamina and a major chance in the Hong Kong Derby.

Straight Arron also caught the eye, overcoming serious traffic trouble and bursting into the clear with 200 meters to race on the way to a 1 1/4-length Class 3 victory over 1,800 meters. Trained by Caspar Fownes, Straight Arron, a Fastnet Rock gelding who began his career in Australia, won for the first time in his fourth Hong Kong start.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.