By Paul Ryding
Trainer Dennis Yip claimed a timely first win of the 2025/26 season, taking out the feature HK$4.2 million G3 National Day Cup Handicap (1000m) at Sha Tin’s National Day fixture on Wednesday (1 October) when his stable star Fast Network (125lb) blitzed an impressive field under Alexis Badel, who won the contest for a third time.
Forever Young romped to an easy win in Wednesday’s $457,700 Nippon TV Hai Stakes at Funabashi Racecourse in Tokyo, Japan, a prep race for the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar on Nov. 1.
Forever Young was third in the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2024.
On Wednesday, Forever Young, ridden confidently by Ryusei Sakai, closed from fifth in a field of 10 to take the lead with slightly more than a furlong remaining. Forever Young won by 2 1/2 lengths over Revontulet, who also stalked pacesetter Light Warrior.
Group 3 racing in Hong Kong continues this Wednesday (1 October) at Sha Tin when eight runners – headlined by last year’s winner Beauty Waves (135lb) – face off in the HK$4.2 million G3 National Day Cup Handicap (1000m) as part of the 10-race public-holiday programme on National Day in Hong Kong.
Forever Young, third in the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2024 and the winner of the $20 million Saudi Cup in Saudi Arabia in February, will start for the first time since April as a massive favorite in Wednesday’s $457,700 Nippon TV Hai Stakes at Funabashi Racecourse in Tokyo, Japan.
The Nippon TV Hai Stakes is a prep race for the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 1 at Del Mar for Forever Young, who has won 8 of 11 starts.
My Wish remains on course for a tilt at the HK$36 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m) in December after sweeping to an emphatic victory in the HK$4.2 million G3 Celebration Cup Handicap (1400m) at Sha Tin on Sunday (28 September).
Held up in the straight as jockey Luke Ferraris searched for clear running, My Wish (130lb) eventually weaved between runner-up Copartner Prance (134lb) and Pray For Mir (128lb) and powered to a length and a quarter margin in 1m 20.79s. Happy Together (135lb) finished strongly for third, a short head further away.
Win Carnelian, winless in 12 starts since a Grade 3 sprint at Tokyo Racecourse in February 2023, a span that included an 11th-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita in November 2023, won his first Grade 1 race in Sunday’s $2.19 million Sprinters Stakes at Nakayama Racecourse in Japan.
Win Carnelian (who paid $98.80 in American pools) was the ninth choice in a field of 16 and had an ideal trip under jockey Kosei Miura in the six-furlong race.
Favorites won the three group stakes for 2-year-olds Saturday at Newmarket Racecourse in England – Wise Approach in most dramatic fashion.
Wise Approach clipped heels and stumbled about two strides into the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes, spotting his rivals some five lengths, but still surged to win by three-quarters of a length.
Paul Lally:
R1 8-7-3-12
R2 1-9-13-3
R3 10-8-2-3
R4 1-7-6-10
R5 4-6-2-8
R6 1-4-8-5
R7 3-7-4-12
R8 8-12-6-9
R9 2-4-8-5
R10 14-7-5-2
R11 5-4-14-8
Best Bet R6 N1 Blazing Wukong
Longshot R7 N3 Triumphant More
Play Race11 QQP 4-5-14
By Paul Ryding
Light Years Charm (125lb) steps into rarefied air at Sha Tin on Sunday (28 September) when he competes in Pattern company for the first time in a mouthwatering feature race, the G3 Celebration Cup Handicap (1400m).
The gelding has reached a career-high rating of 100 after a debut campaign in 2024/25 that saw him win four times.
Trainer David Eustace is confident the five-year-old Australian import can give a good account of himself in the biggest race of his young career.
