A week away from the Hong Kong International Races, the Sunday feature at Sha Tin will look nothing like those Group 1 turf races as a field of a dozen Class 2 handicappers take to the dirt oval situated inside the main turf course in the last of 10 races.
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By Declan Schuster
A determined Karis Teetan will defend his LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship crown next Wednesday (9 December) at Happy Valley against 11 world class rivals as he bids to become the second back-to-back winner of the challenge.
“I won it last year - it’s made me hungry to try and win it again this year, so I will be giving it my best,” Teetan said.
Teetan will look to join fellow South African Jockey Academy graduate Douglas Whyte (2007 & 2008) as successful defenders of their LONGINES IJC title.
By Leo Schlink
John Size is banking on Waikuku’s class to offset a lengthy absence from competition as the 11-time champion trainer prepares to launch an audacious tilt on the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin on Sunday, 13 December.
Waikuku will have been off the scene for 231 days before he throws down the gauntlet to a galaxy of star milers, notably Golden Sixty, Japan’s 2019 winner Admire Mars, dual Hong Kong Mile champion Beauty Generation and G1 Breeders’ Cup Mile victor Order Of Australia.
by Declan Schuster
Karis Teetan is optimistic that an improved Will Power can continue his ascent up the ratings with a third consecutive win in Sunday’s (6 December) red-hot Class 2 Ashley Handicap (dirt, 1200m).
The talented dirt specialist has five wins from nine starts, all on the dirt, and now sits on the cusp of a triple figure rating ahead of just his 10th outing.
“He’s had two nice wins now this season and Douglas (Whyte) has the horse in very good shape, he’s mentally and physically improved a lot – he’s a really smart horse,” Teetan said.
By Kate Hunter
The one thing we have seen of the Japanese racing in the past decade is a growing hunger to travel abroad, but while 2020 has not been kind to Japanese raiders, a strong but small team entered for the 2020 LONGINES Hong Kong International Races could change that.
Nearly a dozen horses were stranded in Dubai after the races were called off at the last minute; others interested in heading to Europe or America in the spring were unable to travel later in the year on saw long travel delays and significant risks.
Our Bellagio Miss managed a second-place finish at 20-1 in a five-furlong handicap at Kembla Grange Racecourse in Australia on Nov. 21 in her first start in nearly four months.
Our Bellagio Miss was beaten two lengths by Hulk, the 7-2 second choice in a field of nine. For Our Bellagio Miss, the loss should serve as an ideal prep for a five-furlong handicap on the Kensington course at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Friday.
From her debut in May 2019, word was out on Inspirational Girl, who will start favored in Saturday’s Group 1 Kingston Town Classic at Ascot Racecourse in Perth, Australia.
Inspirational Girl was 3-5 when she won her debut, and has won 9 of 11 starts in her career. Ascot has been the site of her greatest success. On Nov. 21, Inspirational Girl won the Group 1 Railway Stakes at a mile, closing from 12th of 16 to prevail by about 1 3/4 lengths as the 5-2 favorite.
By Leo Schlink
In her wildest dreams, Hollie Doyle could not have dared to hope for a more spectacular year after a season of staggering achievements, but the English rider hopes to crown a wondrous 2020 with more success in the LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship at Happy Valley next Wednesday (9 December).
Acclaimed as winner of The Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year award and shortlisted for the prestigious BBC sports personality of the year award, the 24-year-old has triumphed on an unprecedented scale in 2020.
Chamisal set the pace in a seven-furlong handicap at Port Macquarie Racecourse in Australia on Nov. 24, losing the lead only in the final strides.
The second-place finish must not have taken a significant toll on the 5-year-old Southern Hemisphere gelding. Chamisal will make a rapid turnaround in Thursday’s Sawtell Cup at Coffs Harbour Racecourse in New South Wales.
