Amor Victorious had a perfect August in Australia, winning two handicaps at tracks in Sydney.
The wins may be a precursor of greater accomplishments in coming months.
A winner of 3 of 7 starts, Amor Victorious starts in the Dubbo Cup at a mile at Dubbo Racecourse on Saturday evening in what could lead to a start in the $1.91 million Big Dance Stakes at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Nov. 7.
Two Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series races in Ireland and Arc trials in France highlight a busy Sunday of European stakes action.
The five-furlong Flying Five Stakes at The Curragh is a Win and You’re In race linked to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, while the seven-furlong Moyglare Stud offers the winner automatic fees-paid entry into the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf.
By Leo Schlink
Aware of the magnitude of Victor The Winner’s challenge as he bids to topple champion sprinter Lucky Sweynesse in Class 1 HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup Handicap (1200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday (10 September), Karis Teetan says tactics will be crucial in the HK$3.72 million season-opening feature.
Teetan hopes Victor The Winner, who posted five victories over Sha Tin’s 1200m course before being defeated by Lucky Sweynesse in the G3 Sha Tin Vase Handicap (1200m) on 4 June, can again contend on the basis of recent solid trials.
Cylinder was second as the favorite in the Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes for Southern Hemisphere 2-year-olds at Rosehill Gardens in Sydney, Australia in March, losing the $3.32 million race by slightly more than a length.
Nearly six months later, Cylinder is back at Rosehill Gardens and a heavy favorite to win for the fourth time in his eighth start in the Group 2 Run to the Rose Stakes at six furlongs for 3-year-olds.
This time, the purse is $191,300, but could lead to much more valuable races for Cylinder, who is trained by James Cummings.
Auguste Rodin and King of Steel finished first and second in the Group 1 English Derby on June 3, an exacta hard to predict.
The win by Auguste Rodin was no surprise. He was 9-2 for world-famous trainer Aidan O’Brien. King of Steel, trained by Roger Varian, was 66-1 and ran a brilliant race, leading in early stretch before losing by a half-length.
Both colts had mixed results through the summer in advance of their third meeting in Saturday’s Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Leopardstown Racecourse in Ireland.
By Declan Schuster
An eager Mark Newnham is expecting to saddle his first Hong Kong runner on Wednesday, 13 September at Happy Valley as he prepares himself for the cauldron-like pressures of Hong Kong’s fiercely competitive 88-fixture racing season.
Announced last season as Hong Kong’s newest expatriate addition to the training ranks, Newnham has enjoyed a swift but significant rise in Australia, collecting close to 400 wins across roughly seven years of training while at the wheel of his stable in Sydney.
The Australian gelding Golden Button finished a game second in his 2023 debut in a seven-furlong handicap on Aug. 25, leaving him well in contention for a second career win in a handicap at that distance at tiny Tuncurry Racecourse in Australia on Thursday evening.
Golden Button was beaten slightly less than a half-length at Tamworth on Aug. 25 in his first start since November. Lightly-raced for a 5-year-old, Golden Button will have his 11th start at Tuncurry and is expected to be a factor from off the pace under jockey Aaron Bullock.
By Leo Schlink
Zac Purton has sounded a note of caution ahead of Lucky Sweynesse’s return in the Class 1 HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup Handicap (1200m) on Sunday (10 September) after the champion sprinter breezed through a delayed trial at Sha Tin this morning (Monday, 4 September). Postponed from its original schedule of Friday morning (1 September) because of Super Typhoon Saola, today’s 1000m trial saw Lucky Sweynesse finish second to one of Sunday’s likely rivals, Victor The Winner, who clocked 58.08s under Karis Keetan.
