Hong Kong: Classic season begins with Hong Kong Classic Mile

Wondering who’s the best 4-year-old in Hong Kong is akin to asking who’s the best 3-year-old in America, and the answer will start to be provided Sunday at Sha Tin in the $1.54 million Hong Kong Classic Mile.

This is the first leg of the 4-year-old classic series, which continues with the Hong Kong Cup over 1,800 meters and the Hong Kong Derby at 2,000 meters. There’s no straight 3-year-old racing in Hong Kong, nor are horses typically separated by age except in this three-race series.

The form in this 14-horse field, therefore, comes from many different angles, horses exiting Class 2 or Class 3 handicaps at a variety of distances. All runners carry 126 pounds.

California Spangle has easily the race’s highest Hong Kong rating, 101, and is a nose away from being undefeated in six starts. All his races, however, came at 1,200 meters or shorter and California Spangle breaks from post 13 Sunday as the likely leader in this one-turn contest.

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“I believe he should be able to dictate the race,” trainer Tony Cruz told Hong Kong Jockey Club publicity.

California Spangle does have two comfortable Class 2 wins, a pretty high level of accomplishment for this race, and while he’s by sprinter Starspangledbanner, California Spangle is out of a mare by stamina influence High Chaparral.

Cruz’s second entrant, Ima Single Man, already has made 18 Hong Kong starts, setting the pace and holding second in a Class 2 over 1,600 meters last out, his first try at a distance longer than 1,400 meters. He, too, has an outside draw in post 10.

Trainer John Size entered three and saved special praise for the lowest rated of them, Sight Success, who comes into the Classic Mile rated just 79. “He’s won his last three and he’s still improving.” Size said.

Sight Success is only one race removed from Class 4 competition but stepped into Class 3 for the first time while making his first start at Sunday’s 1,600-meter distance and won impressively Jan. 16 at Sha Tin.

Size’s top-rated hope, Blaze Warrior, won all three of his starts last season but has hit a wall with a rise to Class 2 competition in his recent races. Master Delight, leading jockey Joao Moreira riding, probably would qualify as Size’s leading hope had he not drawn post 14.

Irish-bred Romantic Warrior has started his career with four wins, though none have come higher than the Class 3 level and he’s never been beyond 1,400 meters. Fa Fa has won five races in a row dating to last season, but all those victories came at Happy Valley and he raced ineffectively at Sha Tin last spring.

Also carded is the Group 3, $450,000 Centenary Vase Handicap over 1,800 meters, which drew 10 entrants. Panfield was thought to be a real hope for the Group 1 Hong Kong Cup after ending his 2020-21 season in strong form and beginning this campaign with a good win over a 1,600-meter trip that seemed short of his best, but he was seventh in the Hong Kong Cup prep and 11th in the race itself, and the bloom has come off this rose.

Tourbillon Diamond has raised his rating 10 points already this season and after a solid victory in the Group 3 Sa Sa Ladies Purse over this trip, he rallied from 12th to finish a respectable fifth in the Hong Kong Cup, making him a leading contender Sunday. Size’s entrants Champions Way and Excellent Proposal also merit respect.

First post for this 10-race card is midnight Eastern. You can catch all the action at DRFBets.com.