By Declan Schuster
Hong Kong Horse of the Year (2024/25) Ka Ying Rising breezed effortlessly through his first official barrier trial this morning (Friday, 22 August) on Sha Tin’s dirt course ahead of a return to racing on Sunday, 7 September followed by his historic bid to scale the world’s richest turf race in Australia.
Awesome Result, scratched from the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Del Mar after failing a vet check, runs for the third time this year in Thursday’s $358,900 Breeders’ Gold Cup in Japan.
Last year, Awesome Result won the Breeders’ Gold Cup by five lengths, a performance that propelled her into contention for the BC Distaff.
A 5-year-old Kentucky-bred mare by Justify, Awesome Result is part of a field of nine in the Breeders’ Gold Cup for fillies and mares at 1 1/4 miles at Mombetsu Racecourse in Northern Japan.
The 2-year-old filly Venetian Sun remained unbeaten and the 5-year-old mare Quisisana remained unbeaten this year, each winning a Group 1 race Sunday at Deauville Racecourse in France.
Venetian Sun got home by a head over favored Gstaad in the Group 1 Prix Morny, running her mark to four wins from four starts for England-based trainer Karl Burke. Venetian’s Sun jockey, Clifford Lee, scored his first Group 1 victory as Venetian Sun stepped up from Group 2 and Group 3 victories to capture the Morny, run over a straight six furlongs.
Wesley Ward does not mess around when it comes to the Prix Morny.
Ward has sent four runners to the Group 1 2-year-old fixture at Deauville: No Nay Never, Lady Aurlelia, and, most recently, in 2020, Campanelle all won. Hootenanny finished second in 2014, a year after No Nay Never’s tally.
Ward’s fifth try at the Morny, contested over a straight six furlongs at Deauville, comes Sunday, when Outfielder, a brilliant winner of his lone start, a May 23 turf sprint maiden at Churchill Downs, meets five rivals.
York | Race 4: G1 Nunthorpe Stakes
I’m looking forward to riding SAYIDAH DARIYAN. She’s an exciting filly and has already won at the course.
The step back to five furlongs (1000m) will hopefully suit her. She’s an improving filly in good form, and although she has to improve again, it’s an open division.
Via Sistina is a certainty to be named Australia’s Horse of the Year in a ceremony in Brisbane on Aug. 31.
She won seven Group 1 races through the season, beginning with the Winx Stakes at Royal Randwick Racecourse last August in a 10-1 upset.
Via Sistina will be about 8-5 to win Friday’s $643,000 Winx Stakes against 11 rivals in her first start since a commanding win in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Randwick in April.
Ombudsman turned the tables on Delacroix and did so decisively while winning the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes on Wednesday at York Racecourse in England.
Beaten a neck by his 3-year-old rival in the Eclipse Stakes last month at Sandown Park, 4-year-old Ombudsman powered home a 3 1/2-length winner of the International while giving seven pounds to Delacroix.
York | Race 1: G2 Lowther Stakes
AMERICA QUEEN was impressive on debut at Haydock, though I’m not sure about the strength of the race yet.
Haydock to York is a suitable next step as they are quite similar tracks, so she’s had the right prep for this. It’s hard to know whether she’s good enough to mix it in this company, but she’s exciting and Richard [Hughes] has a good team of two-year-olds to pick from.
York | Race 4: G1 Yorkshire Oaks
York is a brilliant racecourse. It’s a lovely track with a great atmosphere and they do everything they can to make this meeting as good as it can be. It’s great to have overseas challengers running in the Juddmonte International again and it looks like being a top meeting.
Final declarations for the Yorkshire Oaks on Thursday at York Racecourse, Day Two of the Ebor Festival, hadn’t been made at press time Monday. But the antepost market set by British bookmakers suggests the result is a foregone conclusion.
Minnie Hauk – a winner of the Oaks at Epsom Downs and the Irish Oaks in her last two starts, 3 for 3 at age 3, and a four-time winner in five career starts – traded Monday at odds of about 4-11. Taking a price lower than 1-2 for a horse in a race three days hence suggests that the horse is something close to a cinch.
