Sacred Kingdom will bypass Jubilee Cup

Sha Tin will be the site of two Hong Kong Group 1 races on Sunday, but the big news is the absence of Sacred Kingdom from the $580,000 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup. The world's highest rated sprinter will forgo the seven-furlong dash in favor of a tilt at the six-furlong, $2 million Takamatsunomiya Kinen at Chukyo in Japan on March 28.

In his absence, the Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup is a wide-open affair with recent one-mile, Group 1 Stewards Cup winner Fellowship, New Year's Day seven-furlong handicap winner Egyptian Ra, and Hong Kong Mile runner-up Happy Zero all expected to vie for honors.

At 1 1/4 miles for 4-year-olds, the $2 million Hong Kong Derby is a race from which Hong Kong's future stars frequently emerge. Won in recent years by Collection, Viva Pataca, and Vengeance of Rain, this year's edition features the first three finishers from the Group 2, 1 1/8-mile Hong Kong Derby Trial in King Dancer, Super Satin, and Beauty Flash. Just a half-length separated those three at the line, with the 3-5 Beauty Flash just failing to stay the distance. Brave Kid, a perfect 6 for 6 in Hong Kong, steps up from the handicap ranks, while Fair Trade is 2 for 2 at Sha Tin going seven furlongs and, like Super Satin, is trained by Caspar Fownes.