Hong Kong: Several look to fill the void in Stewards' Cup

The Group 1, $1.3 million Stewards’ Cup on Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong is more notable for who’s not running than who is.

Golden Sixty, Hong Kong’s best horse in training – and possibly best horse ever – won the Stewards’ Cup in 2021 and 2023 and made a triumphant return to racing following a long layoff with a stirring win Dec. 10 in the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile. But in late December, Golden Sixty suffered a minor leg injury and was to have his January training restricted to light trotting, forcing him out of an intended Stewards’ Cup start.

The 1,600-meter race, with a post time scheduled for 3:10 a.m. Eastern and run at level weights, would have been his for the taking, but in Golden Sixty’s absence, the eight-runner field lacks a standout.

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

California Spangle is top rated among the entrants and was supposed to be Golden Sixty’s heir apparent in the Hong Kong mile division. Instead, he has totally lost his way. After winning the Group 1 Hong Kong Trophy to start his season, going wire to wire while giving the runner-up 18 pounds, California Spangle finished a lackluster eighth at a very short price in the Group 2 Jockey Club Mile on Nov. 19. He was 13th in the Hong Kong Mile, a race in which he’d upset Golden Sixty a year earlier, and on Jan. 1 could only finish sixth in a Group 3 handicap. Trainer Tony Cruz in part blamed as 135-pound impost, but California Spangle had given weight and won in October. The addition of cheek pieces for Sunday’s start is not likely to reverse California Spangle’s fortunes.

Voyage Bubble and Beauty Eternal, respectively second and sixth last out in the Hong Kong Mile, look like the right horses for the Stewards’ Cup.

These two know each other well, and when Voyage Bubble won the Hong Kong Derby last season, Beauty Eternal was just a nose and a head behind him in third. Though the Derby is a 2,000-meter race, both horses prefer something closer to one mile, and they have traded decisions this season. Beauty Eternal won the Jockey Club Mile in November, a race in which Voyage Bubble finished third, but Voyage Bubble was better in the HK Mile. One of the two, in Golden Sixty’s absence, is likely to win the Stewards’ Cup.

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