Russian Emperor finds his stride in Hong Kong Gold Cup

Russian Emperor required a dozen Hong Kong races to finally win one, but his first Hong Kong success was a major one.

Relishing a yielding Sha Tin turf course that the heavily favored Golden Sixty disliked, Russian Emperor stormed to a 4 1/4-length win in the Group 1, $1.54 million Hong Kong Gold Cup on Saturday.

Finishing second was Russian Emperor’s Douglas Whyte-trained stablemate, Savvy Nine, as Golden Sixty could do no better than third after a ground-losing trip over wet going his connections claimed he could not handle.

Golden Sixty, beaten 5 1/2 lengths, now has lost two straight races after winning 16 in a row. “The conditions, for sure, played a part,” jockey Vincent Ho told Hong Kong Jockey Club publicity.

Golden Sixty broke from the outside post in a 10-horse field, dropping in and joining Russian Emperor at the back of the pack as Zebrowski and Reliable Team led, racing through late-afternoon rain. Midway down the backstretch, Ho’s hands already were moving on his mount’s neck, keeping Golden Sixty in the race as Ho steered an outside course approaching the far turn.

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But Blake Shinn, Russian Emperor’s rider, hugged the rail around the turn, gliding outside to find clear passage as the field headed into the homestretch. Steered out about four paths wide at the 400-meter mark, Russian Emperor quickly took the measure of the three horses in front of him and never came close to being threatened in a dominant performance.

Russian Emperor had finished third last out in the 1,600-meter Steward’s Cup, the race in which Golden Sixty’s win streak ended, in what clearly was a steppingstone race to starts over longer distances that better suit the gelding. A Group 3 winner over about 2,000 meters at Royal Ascot in England, where he was seventh of 16 in the 2020 Epsom Derby, Russian Emperor was beaten a head last season in the 2,000-meter Hong Kong Derby. He failed to progress in two subsequent starts outside age-restricted ranks and needed racing early this Hong Kong season to begin finding himself again. His third-place finish in a strong renewal of the Group 1 Hong Kong Cup marked his best performance yet, and Whyte brought his horse to another peak Sunday.

“I think everybody realizes that these European horses, once they have a full season or a full season and a half, they find their straps,” said Whyte, the all-time winningest jockey in Hong Kong. “The rain has helped but, in saying that, he still had to win, and he’s just done that.”

Russian Emperor, who clocked 2:04.11, is by Galileo out of Atlantic Jewel, by Fastnet Rock.

The race was marred by the breakdown going into the far turn of the 2021 Hong Kong Derby winner, Sky Darci, who broke a hind leg and was euthanized.
*** Earlier on the card, Wellington came roaring over the top to win the Group 1, $1.54 million Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup as favored Waikuku, the Steward’s Cup winner, met compromising homestretch traffic trouble.

Wellington, who barely avoided a multi-horse accident in the Hong Kong Sprint two months ago, won for the first time this Hong Kong season after capturing seven of 10 starts during his first two Hong Kong campaigns. He was back on his game over the yielding Sunday course, sweeping to the lead in the last 200 meters as Waikuku and jockey Zac Purton found themselves hopelessly trapped behind a wall of horses through much of the last 400 meters. By the time Waikuku had worked his way through a hole and into the clear, Wellington was long gone, with Kaying Star nabbing second from Waikuku.

Wellington, ridden by Alexei Badel for trainer Richard Gibson, ran 1,400 meters in 1:23.53. The 5-year-old Australian import is by All Too Hard out of Mihiri, by More Than Ready.