Golden Sixty takes Champions Mile for 14th consecutive triumph
Golden Sixty extended his winning streak to 14 races with a hard-fought victory in Sunday’s Group 1 Champions Mile at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong, in a tougher battle than expected in a short field.
Golden Sixty ($2.40) closed from last in a field of six to take the lead in the final 300 yards and appeared briefly to be on his way to a comfortable win in the $2.57 million Champions Mile. More Than This (8-1) closed well to just miss catching the popular winner, who was ridden by Vincent Ho.
“We (learned) today that he still can fight when something chases him, not just when he is doing the chasing,” Ho told Hong Kong publicity.
The first two finishers are trained by Frances Lui. Southern Legend, who won the Champions Mile in 2020, finished third for trainer Caspar Fownes.
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Golden Sixty is unbeaten since the beginning of the 2019-2020 Hong Kong season and won the Champions Mile by a head.
“He’s a very good horse,” Lui said of Golden Sixty. “I was a little bit worried, but Golden Sixty is that kind of horse. When he passes the other horses, he thinks his job is done, but then when he saw another runner coming he turned it on again.”
Lui said there is a possibility Golden Sixty could start in the Group 1 Champions and Chater Cup at 1 1/2 miles at Sha Tin on May 23, the third leg of a Triple Crown for older horses. Earlier this year, Golden Sixty won the first two divisions – the Group 1 Stewards’ Cup at a mile in January and the Group 1 Hong Kong Gold Cup at 1 1/4 miles.
River Verdon is the only horse to sweep those three races, doing so in 1994.
Golden Sixty is a 6-year-old Australian-bred gelding by Medgalia d’Oro.
Ho, 30, had a career-best afternoon, winning another Group 1 on Sunday aboard Loves Only You in the $3.22 million Queen Elizabeth II Cup at 1 1/4 miles. The Queen Elizabeth II Cup was the richest of three Group 1 races at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Trained by Yoshito Yahagi of Japan, Loves Only You was fourth for the first mile of the Queen Elizabeth II Cup and rallied wide to take the lead in the final furlong. Loves Only You ($11.60) led a sweep of the first four positions by Japanese-based runners in a field of seven.
Loves Only You finished three-quarters of a length over a fast-closing Glory Vase, a 7-2 chance who finished a half-length in front of Daring Tact, the 3-2 favorite.
“I don’t dare to look back until the finish line, but she was amazing,” Ho said. “I’m grateful that the Japanese connections asked me to ride her.
“It’s amazing today with Golden Sixty and Loves Only You. I’ll enjoy it for sure.”
Kiseki (9-1) finished fourth ahead of 7-2 Exultant, who was fifth. Exultant, the Hong Kong Horse of the Year in the 2019-2020 season, was the best-placed runner from Hong Kong and the winner of the 2020 Queen Elizabeth II Cup.
Daring Tact was the Japanese champion 3-year-old filly of 2020.
Loves Only You, a 4-year-old Japanese-bred filly by Deep Impact, won the Grade 1 Japanese Oaks in 2019. Earlier this year, Loves Only You was third in the Group 1 Sheema Classic at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai.
Jockey Kohei Matsuyama apologized for Daring Tact’s loss.
“She gave us a good run, as usual,” Matsuyama told Hong Kong publicity. “I know she was very heavily supported, so the first thing I have to say is that I’m sorry. For the excuse, I cannot find an appropriate one for her.”
Glory Vase was cleared to start in advance of the race, having undergone a precautionary veterinary examination in recent days.
There was one Group 1 win on the lucrative program for Hong Kong-based runners when Wellington ($7.90) won his first race at the highest level in the $2.31 million Chairman’s Sprint Prize at six furlongs.
Ridden by Alexis Badel for trainer Richard Gibson, Wellington closed from sixth in a field of 13 to win by 1 1/2 lengths over 18-1 Computer Patch, who set the pace. Sky Field (11-1) closed to finish third, a short head behind Computer Patch.
Danon Smash, a Grade 1 sprint winner in Japan earlier this year, finished sixth as the 6-5 favorite, beaten four lengths. Danon Smash was never a factor.
Wellington won for the fourth time in six starts since late December, rising through the class ranks in Hong Kong. Wellington was a disappointing fifth in the Group 2 Sprint Cup on April 5 in his first group-level race.
“It’s difficult to hide your disappointment on those days, but we had faith in our team and in our horse and he delivered,” Gibson said.
Wellington broke from post 12 in that race, but was more favorably drawn in post 3 in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize.
“He had a perfect trip,” Badel said. “The horse was much more relaxed than last time. Honestly, the draw last time was a bit difficult and the ground was faster as well. It was difficult for me to relax the horse without giving ground.
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“Today, I had the perfect race, just close to the pace and more relaxed. When I put a little bit of pressure on my horse, he responded very well.”
Gibson said the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint in December, the circuit’s leading sprint race, is a long-range goal for Wellington, a 5-year-old Australian-bred gelding by All Too Hard.