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.
By Declan Schuster
Ricky Yiu has declared it’s all systems go for Voyage Bubble ahead of his six-time Group 1 winner’s Triple Crown defence, which begins in Sunday’s (25 January) HK$13 million G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m) at Sha Tin, when he clashes with Romantic Warrior.
“He had a really good gallop on Saturday (17 January). He’s fit and he wasn’t blowing at all. Very good signs,” Yiu said. “The feedback from Zac (Purton) was very promising. It seems as though the horse has never had a run and that he is coping with everything.”
In the fifth instalment of The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Road to the Derby series, we profile a contender who has charged up the ratings this season – the Jimmy Ting-trained Little Paradise.
With less than two weeks until the first leg of the prestigious 2025/26 Four-Year-Old Classic Series – the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) on 1 February – and with the 149th HK$26 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) on 22 March on the horizon, Little Paradise’s mark of 95 makes him one of the highest-rated gallopers of his age in the city.
Six-time Group 1-winning sprinter Ka Ying Rising has been crowned Timeform’s Horse of the Year (2025). Trained by David Hayes, last season’s Hong Kong Horse of the Year (2024/25) also earned the accolade as Timeform’s Champion Sprinter (2025).
A record-breaking phenom, Ka Ying Rising has earned HK$122.57 million and has won 17 of 19 career starts, including 16 in succession – equal to Golden Sixty’s record and one shy of Silent Witness’ all-time record in the city (17).
By Paul Ryding
Champion trainer John Size is ramping up his bid for a 14th title this weekend as he prepares to send a squad of 13 runners to the 11-race meeting at Sha Tin.
Size’s contingent for Sunday’s (18 January) 15th National Games Hong Kong Medallists Raceday equals his largest of the season as he seeks to close the gap on the premiership leaders. His 17 wins so far place him in eighth position, 15 wins behind leader Mark Newnham as the 2025/26 season approaches the midway point.
