Golden Sixty, Romantic Warrior tangle again in Hong Kong Gold Cup

Rarely has the Hong Kong superstar Golden Sixty been knocked off his pedestal. And the two times he has gone down, the great gelding righted himself and climbed right back to the top.

It happened last season, when Golden Sixty came back from two defeats with a pair of emphatic Group 1 victories to close his campaign. And it happened last month, when Golden Sixty dominated heirs to his crown Romantic Warrior and California Spangle after taking a no-excuses loss to California Spangle in the Hong Kong Mile.

The rebound races all have come at 1,600 meters, Golden Sixty’s ideal trip, and on Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse, Golden Sixty stretches his talents to 2,000 meters in the Group 1, $1.53 million Hong Kong Gold Cup.

Golden Sixty won this race by a nose two years ago over Furore. The competition is stronger this time. California Spangle takes a pass at a distance beyond his best, but Romantic Warrior tries again, and 2,000 meters may be his best distance.

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Romantic Warrior is 9-1-0 from 11 starts, his first loss a no-chance fourth a year ago with an impossible trip in the Hong Kong Classic Cup. The second loss came last month in the Stewards’ Cup, where California Spangle led, Romantic Warrior stalked on the outside, and Golden Sixty sat a perfect pocket trip under regular rider Vincent Ho.

Ho has changed tactics on Golden Sixty, a 7-year-old bred on Southern Hemisphere time who brings a career mark of 27-23-2-1 into Sunday’s contest. Ho, trying to keep his horse from racing too keenly, used to take a big hold of Golden Sixty, producing him late in his races – too late, on occasion. Golden Sixty has plenty of pace, however, and Ho more recently has deployed it to great effect. With 300 meters left in the Stewards’ Cup, Ho steered Golden Sixty between California Spangle, who could not kick on, and Romantic Warrior, who failed to quicken with the winner.

Just seven are entered in the Hong Kong Cup, Romantic Warrior and jockey Karis Teetan drawn in post 6, Ho and Golden Sixty in post 4. Romantic Warrior’s camp would want to turn the race into a test of stamina; Ho figures to try for the same trip he got in the Stewards’ Cup and hope his aging champion can extend his brilliance another 200 meters.

Co-featured on the card is the second leg of the 4-year-old Classic Series, the 1,800-meter Hong Kong Classic Cup, which drew a full field of 14. Voyage Bubble won the first leg of the series, the Classic Mile, making his first start beyond 1,400 meters. There’s skepticism regarding his suitability to Sunday’s longer trip, but Voyage Bubble, home by 1 1/4 lengths last out, possesses dangerous rateable speed and delivered a strong 22.78-second final 400 meters after leading most of the way in the Classic Mile. He’s well drawn in post 6 under Australian jockey Jamie Kah, who rode the gelding for the first time in the Classic Mile.

Packing Treadmill was favored in the Classic Mile but was a well-beaten third with a favorable trip. Galaxy Witness turned in the fastest final 400 meters, 22.58, rallying from 11th to finish fifth in a race where nothing much moved from the back of the field.

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