The Japanese Oaks at 1 1/2 miles in May was too far for Embroidery, who faded to finish ninth.

The Grade 1 Shuka Sho at 1 1/4 miles on turf for 3-year-old fillies at Kyoto Racecourse on Sunday was much more to her liking.

Winning her second Grade 1 race of 2025, Embroidery ($8.70 in American pools) closed from mid-pack in a field of 18 to win by a half-length over 15-1 pacesetter Erika Express.

“I had every faith in the filly that she would deliver today since the Oaks didn’t suit her distance-wise,” winning rider Christophe Lemaire said.

The payoffs were astonishing.

On one of the biggest days of the British flat season, Cicero’s Gift ($181.20 in American pools) won Saturday’s Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes for milers at Ascot a little more than an hour after Powerful Glory ($251.40) won the Group 1 British Champions Sprint Stakes.

There were more logical payoffs on the program, too. Kalpana ($4.70) obliged as favorite in the Group 1 British Champions Filly and Mare Stakes, and Trawlerman ($3) won as expected in the Group 1 British Champions Long Distance Stakes.

There can be no doubt about it. Ka Ying Rising is the world’s finest sprinter.

Ka Ying Rising, based in Hong Kong, extended his winning streak to 14 races with a comfortable 1 1/4-length win in the world’s richest sprint – the Group 1, $13.09 million Everest Stakes at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday.

By Paul Ryding

John Size says the generous handicap that Red Lion will receive and the services of “perfect” partner Richard Kingscote might be enough to overcome a tricky draw in the HK$5.35 million G2 Sha Tin Trophy (1600m).

In a race expected to be run at a strong clip, drawing gate 13 might have scuppered the chances of his Group 1-winning galloper in Sunday’s (19 October) feature. But the consistent six-year-old will bear just 119lb – the lightest impost he’s carried in almost 22 months – and Size says he’s seen some improvement over the off-season.

Hoping Delacroix can be Champion 

Randwick | Race 7: The Everest 

Like a lot of people, I want to see KA YING RISING win this, but it won’t be easy and he’s probably going to be the biggest price he’s been for a long time. 

Paul Lally: 
R1: 11-3-1-2 
R2: 5-9-3-1 
R3: 8-3-11-12 
R4: 8-9-6-2 
R5: 9-1-6-5 
R6: 8-3-4-7 
R7: 8-1-6-2 
R8: 2-10-4-6 
R9: 1-5-3-10 
R10: 9-3-10-5 
Best Bet: R9 N1 Brilliant Express 
Longshot: R10 N9 California Waves 
Play: R6 QQP 3-4-8 

By Declan Schuster

Galaxy Patch will get the chance to secure consecutive victories in Sunday’s (19 October) HK$5.35 million G2 Sha Tin Trophy Handicap (1600m) at Sha Tin, a rare feat achieved only by Beauty Generation (2017 & 2018) and California Spangle (2022 & 2023).

Sha Tin Selections
(Sunday, October 19, 2025)