Mark McNamara:
R1: 7.5.4.1
R2: 4.8.3.2
R3: 5.3.1.2
R4: 3.1.6.5
R5: 10.11.12.5
R6: 1.2.6.5
R7: 6.3.1.12
R8: 4.1.10.12
R9: 10.11.12.1
Best Bet: R2 N4 Thunder Blink
Value: R5 N10 Take Action
Play: R2 Q/QP 3.4.8
Nick Child:
R1: 2-4-7-1
R2: 8-4-10-3
R3: 3-1-5-7
R4: 1-5-3-6
R5: 11-12-2-1
R6: 11-5-2-7
R7: 6-3-5-1
R8: 1-8-12-6
R9: 10-12-4-7
By Declan Schuster
Jimmy Ting is putting a long-term goal to the test this Sunday (1 February) at Sha Tin, and the trainer remains hopeful the opportunity presented can become his greatest success.
Little Paradise is that chance. An explosive son of Toronado, the five-time winner has risen from Class 4 to Class 2 across eight starts, and takes aim at the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) – the opening leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series – a race Ting earmarked after his debut win over 1200m at Sha Tin on 30 March, 2025.
In the sixth instalment of The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Road to the Derby series, Manfred Man’s Patch Of Cosmo is in the spotlight after returning from injury with a striking victory at Sha Tin recently.
With just days until the first leg of the prestigious 2025/26 Four-Year-Old Classic Series – the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) this Sunday (1 February) – and with the 149th HK$26 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) on 22 March on the horizon, Patch Of Cosmo has stamped himself as one of the city’s leading four-year-olds after brushing off a tendon injury.
When Voyage Bubble went out to win the Stewards’ Cup a year ago at Sha Tin Racecourse, the best horse in Hong Kong had departed Hong Kong.
Romantic Warrior this week last winter won the Jebel Hatta at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, then went to Saudi Arabia and lost an epic battle with Forever Young in the Saudi Cup. Back in Dubai, Romantic Warrior – sapped from his Saudi Cup – took a narrow loss in the Dubai Turf.
Bhupat Seemar for the last few seasons has trained a large portion of the best dirt horses in Dubai, a dynamic on full display Friday at Meydan Racecourse, where Seemar’s four-bagger included victories in the featured Al Maktoum Challenge with Imperial Emperor and in the UAE 2000 Guineas, won by Six Speed.
Both horses are headed toward a start on the Dubai World Cup card, Imperial Emperor in the World Cup itself, Six Speed in the UAE Derby.
Paul Lally:
R1: 8-11-6-4
R2: 4-12-1-10
R3: 8-5-4-2
R4: 1-2-8-9
R5: 7-3-5-2
R6: 1-3-2-4
R7: 2-1-7-10
R8: 1-2-5-8
R9: 4-7-5-8
R10: 4-14-13-3
R11: 2-1-12-7
Best Bet: R10 N4 Happy Index
Longshot: R7 N2 Forza Toro
Play: R9 QQP 4-5-7
Six Speed stands a decent chance of getting on the Kentucky Derby qualifying-points board in the UAE 2000 Guineas on Friday at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai.
The UAE 2000 Guineas, a one-turn mile, is a new addition to the system Churchill Downs has created that forms the Kentucky Derby field, capped at 20 runners, with more horses than the maximum lining up to run every year. The race is part of the newly formed European/Middle East Road to the Derby, which merges two previous Derby qualifying paths.
By Leo Schlink
David Hayes is confident Ka Ying Rising remains in peak form as the world’s highest-rated sprinter chases history in the HK$13 million G1 Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday (25 January).
Unbeaten in 16 starts since 12 February, 2024, Ka Ying Rising will equal Silent Witness’ record for a Hong Kong-trained horse of 17 victories in a row if he eclipses six rivals in this weekend’s Group 1 double-header, which also features Romantic Warrior’s clash with Voyage Bubble in the HK$13 million G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m).
By Declan Schuster
It is a huge week for championship-leading trainer Mark Newnham, who after saddling seven runners at Sha Tin on Wednesday night (21 January), will seek top-level glory with stable star My Wish in Sunday’s (25 January) HK$13 million G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m).
Group 2 victor My Wish, who has six wins from 15 starts including the 2025 Hong Kong Classic Mile, faces mighty gallopers Romantic Warrior and Voyage Bubble – winners of a combined 17 Group 1 races – in the Triple Crown’s opener this weekend at Sha Tin.
