Hong Kong: International Jockeys Challenge takes center stage

The horses look about standard for a Wednesday night racing program at Happy Valley. The jockeys do not.

This is the annual International Jockeys Challenge card, a fixture of the Hong Kong International Races week. A dozen jockeys have mounts in four designated races Wednesday night – the fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth – and whoever accumulates the most points earns a cash prize of about $64,500. A first-place finish is worth 12 points, a second-place finish six points, a third-place finish four points.

The participating jockeys this year are Alexi Badel, Mickael Barzalona, Pierre-Charles Boudot, William Buick, Neil Callan, Holly Doyle, Vincent Ho, Tom Marquand, Ryan Moore, Joao Moreira, Zac Purton, and Karis Teetan.

The challenge starts with a 1,000-meter Class 4 that on paper is absolutely inscrutable. Ryan Moore landed the mount on Packing Champion, who made his career debut Nov. 18, could improve second time out (and will need do), and drew favorably along the fence. Travel Datuk, the mount of Vincent Ho, was a vet scratch when scheduled to start the same night as Packing Champion and has a shot here if his physical issue is resolved.

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Race 5 is another Class 4, this one around two bends and 1,650 meters, and, unlike in race 4, includes a horse who comes off a sharp win. That’s Royal Racer, who won by more than three lengths in his most recent start – a race at this class level and distance – and picks up nine pounds after a major rating boost. Royal Racer, however, not only has to avoid regression with the added weight but drew poorly with Moreira in post 12. Fearless Fire has undergone all manner of equipment tinkering this season and either experimentation or increasing fitness has moved him forward. Purton should have a chance with this mount from post 1, while Nunchuks, a Caspar Fownes-trained stablemate of Royal Racer, has a sneaky shot under Marquand.

It’s right back to 1,650 meters in race 7, a Class 3 for horse rated 80-60, and Doyle could be on a live lightweight here in Sunny Lad. Sunny Lad is assigned just 116 pounds, 17 fewer than top-rated Reel Bizzy, as he steps back into Class 3 competition following a three-quarter-length win in a Class 4. Sunny Lad’s Hong Kong debut last season came in a 1,650-meter Happy Valley race, but after fading to 11th he was cut back to sprints for the rest of his 2019-20 campaign and his first three starts this season came at Sha Tin. Trainer Tony Cruz might’ve found his charge’s niche and comes right back to it with Sunny Lad drawn decently in post 7. Reel Bizzy, the mount of Boudot, has finished second by narrow margins in his last two starts, undone, as might happen again Wednesday, by all the weight he has to carry.

Moore could be on a steamer in race 8, the final leg, a Class 3 over 1,200 meters. His mount, Grateful Heart, has knocked out two straight wins going this distance at Happy Valley and after struggling through his first season in Hong Kong has looked a different horse this fall. He has plenty of speed and an inside draw from which to deploy it. Down at the bottom of the ratings are three more last-start winners – What A Legend has post 10 and Ho, Lucky Quality post 2 and Badel, and Harmony and Blessed, a zippy front-running 1,200-meter winner last out, post 6 and Doyle.

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The night’s actual feature is race 9, a Class 2 handicap over 1,800 meters. The card’s first post is 6:30 a.m. Eastern, and the races, with wagering, can be found at DRFBets.com.

HKIR shippers get feel for track

International shippers were out for training Monday morning at Sha Tin, a group headlined by Japanese shipper Win Bright and Aidan O’Brien’s three runners for Sunday’s HKIR.

Win Bright is 2 for 2 in Hong Kong, winning the QE II Cup in April 2019 and the Hong Kong Cup last December. Win Bright had an easy training session on the Sha Tin dirt track and appeared to have traveled very well.

O’Brien’s three are Magical for the Cup, Order of Australia for the HK Mile, and Mogul for the HK Vase.

Magical, who is likely making her final start, had her coat clipped before shipping and might have either been mildly disinterested or dull in her dirt-track training session Monday.

Order of Australia, the shock winner of the Breeders’ Cup Mile, put in a good appearance.