Whirl might not be the best 3-year-old filly currently trained by Aidan O’Brien, but she’s the star of the Sunday card at Longchamp.
The annual preview program for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe includes three Arc preps: The Group 2 Prix Foy for older horses, the Group 2 Prix Niel for 3-year-olds, and the Group 1 Prix Vermeille, for fillies and mares. Whirl is set to face five foes in the 1 1/2-mile Vermeille, for which she was an odds-on favorite with British bookmakers as of Friday.
By Declan Schuster
Francis Lui and Manfred Man will have eyes on Hong Kong and South Korea this Sunday (7 September) when both trainers seek their first overseas wins as the 2025/26 racing season gets underway at Sha Tin.
Hong Kong Champion Trainer in 2023/24, Lui saddles Copartner Prance (115lb) and Divano (115lb) in the HK$3.72 million Class 1 HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup Handicap (1200m) in Hong Kong, while Chancheng Glory represents the stable in Seoul’s G3 Korea Cup (1800m, sand).
By Leo Schlink
Fresh from an impromptu riding cameo in Great Britain, Harry Bentley hopes to spark a successful start to the 2025/26 Hong Kong season when he partners Victor The Winner in the HK$3.72 million Class 1 HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup Handicap (1200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday (7 September).
Pitted against fellow Group 1 winners Ka Ying Rising and Lucky Sweynesse, G1 Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m) winner Victor The Winner will jump from barrier eight for Bentley and trainer David Eustace, having won the 2023 HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup for Danny Shum and Karis Teetan.
By Leo Schlink
Ka Ying Rising this morning effortlessly completed fast-work preparations for the HK$3.72 million Class 1 HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup Handicap (1200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday (7 September), when the world’s highest-rated sprinter bids to extend his winning streak to 13 straight races.
Partnered by regular rider Zac Purton, Hong Kong’s reigning Horse Of The Year sauntered down the back straight on Sha Tin’s dirt track before upping the tempo over the final 400m, clocking 24.1s and pleasing trainer David Hayes.
Karis Teetan is relishing the challenge as he prepares for another campaign in Hong Kong when the 2025/26 racing season kicks off this Sunday (7 September) at Sha Tin.
Teetan, 35, has amassed a remarkable 733 Hong Kong wins across his career in the city, the second most of any rider on the current roster behind Zac Purton (1,878). The Mauritian returns hoping to build on his 44 wins netted in 2024/25 and, while lower in comparison to his regular highs, he is not one to dwell.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club (the Club) will launch the 2025/2026 racing season on 7 September with a game-changing racecourse arrival and customer experience at Grandstand II, Sha Tin Racecourse. Champions Connection will connect arriving visitors with an immersive digital environment inspired by horse and nature, while Gensō Eki will provide digital horse racing experiences in an immersive dining and digital entertainment venue. Both will further promote horse racing and the racecourse as a must-go experience for both locals and tourists, particularly the younger generation.
By Declan Schuster
Alexis Badel hopes an off-season riding stint in Japan has him well-placed to hit the ground running when the 2025/26 Hong Kong racing season begins this Sunday (7 September) at Sha Tin, where the Frenchman will reunite with trusted partner Beauty Waves for trainer Tony Cruz, aiming to spoil expected favourite Ka Ying Rising’s party in the HK$3.72 million Class 1 HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup Handicap (1200m).
The new racing season will kick off at Sha Tin Racecourse on 7 September, with the Club offering HK$28 million in jackpot prizes, alongside the first-ever HK$80 million Mark Six Season Opening Snowball draw. Customers* will have the chance to win prizes totalling an estimated HK$108 million.
By Declan Schuster
It was business as usual for Ka Ying Rising at Sha Tin this evening (Saturday, 30 August). Hong Kong’s Horse of the Year (2024/25) strode confidently through another eye-catching barrier trial ahead of his highly anticipated return to racing next weekend (Sunday, 7 September) at the 2025/26 Season Opener.
