Liberty Island will attempt a sweep of the Japanese Triple Crown for 3-year-old fillies when she has her third start of the year in Sunday’s Grade 1 Shuka Sho at 1 1/4 miles at Kyoto Racecourse.
Liberty Island was the unanimous choice for champion 2-year-old filly of 2022 in Japan. She has made an outstanding case so far to gain the same distinction in balloting for champion 3-year-old filly of 2023.
By Leo Schlink
Acclaimed last season as Hong Kong’s Most Improved Horse, Beauty Eternal embarks on the first step towards the HK$32 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m) when the talented five-year-old contests the G2 Sha Tin Trophy Handicap (1600m) at Sha Tin on Sunday (15 October).
Resuming after closing a wonderful debut season with success in the G3 Premier Cup Handicap (1400m) on 25 June, Beauty Eternal (123lb) will jump from barrier three on Sunday under Zac Purton in search of his eighth win from 11 starts.
City of Troy makes his eagerly anticipated third start and Group 1 debut Saturday at Newmarket in the Dewhurst Stakes.
It was at Newmarket on July 23 that City of Troy revealed his star potential winning the Group 2 Superlative Stakes over seven furlongs by 6 ½ lengths. Always prominent under Ryan Moore, City of Troy began asserting his superiority about 300 yards from home, getting ever farther ahead going down into “The Dip” in the Newmarket straight course and up the hill to the finish.
Shuwari fell too far behind to catch the good filly Carla’s Way in the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes last month, but with no Carla’s Way and no new competition of obvious consequence, Shuwari is favored to win the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile, for which the Rockfel was a prep, on Friday at Newmarket.
Shuwari is one of eight entered in the straight-course mile, the last important race of the year in England or Ireland for 2-year-old fillies. The betting market lands on an obvious outcome; Ylang Ylang, third behind Carla’s Way and Shuwari in the Rockfel, is second choice.
Casino Lord was overmatched in two group-level sprints in Australia in the first half of September at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.
He finished seventh of eight in the Group 3 Concorde Stakes on Sept. 2, and last of 12 in the Group 2 The Shorts Stakes two weeks later, racing against some of the country’s leading sprinters.
This has been a perfect year for the Australian gelding Think About It, who is rated among the leading hopes for the world’s richest sprint, the $12.8 million Everest Stakes at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Friday evening.
Less than two weeks after she won for the first time in her career in her second start, the Australian 3-year-old filly Vieste has a longshot’s chance to win a handicap at 1 1/4 miles at Kembla Grange Racecourse on Wednesday evening.
Vieste just will not be as high of a price as she was last time.
Facing winners will not be a major challenge for Vieste, who won a handicap against winners at about 1 1/8 miles at Newcastle on Sept. 30, closing from seventh in a field of nine to win by a nose at 60-1.
By Declan Schuster
Trainer Frankie Lor is buoyant Money Catcher can take another step forward this season as he readies for Sunday’s (15 October) HK$5.35 million G2 Sha Tin Trophy Handicap (1600m) at Sha Tin.
The six-year-old returns first-up after steadily climbing the ranks last term, where he rose from a 95-rating to be Group 1-placed behind Hong Kong’s standout duo – Golden Sixty and Romantic Warrior.
