It’s always nice to be invited to ride in the International Jockeys’ Championship. I was fortunate I picked up a couple of good rides, and it went well. It was great to win the IJC again after so long. Now we’re looking ahead to Sunday. Sha Tin | Race 4: Hong Kong Vase We run LOS ANGELES, and this will be his final start on the racecourse. I think he is the top-rated horse in the race. He was a Group 1 winner at the Curragh at the start of the year over a mile-and-a-quarter. Before that he won an Irish Derby and a Group 1 as a two-year-old. His last run in the Arc was a bit disappointing, but I think Aidan [O’Brien] is happy with how he’s trained since then. Hopefully he can finish on a high. It’s quite a deep Vase this year. Giavellotto obviously won the race last year. Sosie finished third in the Arc and probably sets the standard. Goliath is a King George winner, and Al Riffa was a very impressive winner of the Irish St Leger and ran a super race in the Melbourne Cup. They’re solid horses. There’s a St Leger winner [Urban Chic] in the field, and while he has been fairly disappointing since, you never underestimate those horses at this meeting. Sha Tin | Race 5: Hong Kong Sprint I ride SATONO REVE, who has been placed in both his two starts at Sha Tin. He’s a Group 1 winner and he was second in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot this year. I had a sit on him this morning [Thursday 11 December] and he’s in good shape. He’s got a nice draw in four and is uncomplicated. All being well, I’d like to think he can hit the frame. We know the task ahead of him against what is an exceptional horse in Ka Ying Rising. He sets a very high standard. He’s drawn in one, which you could say wouldn’t be a draw you would have picked for him. He’s such a high-class horse though; he won The Everest when he probably wasn’t quite at his best and he was dominant when he won at Sha Tin three weeks ago. If Ka Ying Rising wasn’t in there, you’d like to think we would have a great chance, but he’ll be very hard to beat. Sha Tin | Race 7: Hong Kong Mile THE LION IN WINTER is coming here off the back of three very good runs over a mile. He was a high-class two-year-old and we were hoping he would be a Derby horse. He had a little set back at the beginning of the year, which meant he started a bit late. He was fresh and did too much in the Dante and then didn’t stay in the Derby. After that he came back to seven furlongs [1400m] in the Prix Jean Prat and ran well. His last three starts in the Prix du Moulin, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Mile have been very consistent. On that form, he’s right in contention in what is a competitive race. His draw in 14 is never really where you want to be, but we’ll have to make the best of it. I’d be hopeful he can acquit himself well. This would probably be the most competitive of the four Group 1s on the day and there are a whole host you could make a case for. Of the internationals, the three-year-old filly Embroidery looks progressive. Soul Rush beat Romantic Warrior in the Dubai Turf earlier this year and was third in this last year, so he’s very consistent.  Of the local horses, My Wish has a nice draw and should run well. Voyage Bubble won this last year but hasn’t quite reached that level for a while. Sha Tin | Race 8: Hong Kong Cup The Hong Kong Cup is a great race. Unfortunately, this year’s edition has a smaller field than usual. Romantic Warrior is entitled to be a very strong favourite. I thought he looked better than ever when he won at Sha Tin three weeks ago. It was a perfect prep race – they went very steadily and he was able to sit in behind the leaders and travel up into the straight before putting the race to bed very easily without being put under maximum pressure. You’d think he would probably step forward from that again. I think Quisisana has been progressive all year. She won the Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville in August. The Arc was probably a step too far for her on soft ground. She’s probably the interesting one to hit the board behind the favourite.