Lemon Pop earned an historic victory in his final career start in Sunday’s Grade 1 Champions Cup at 1 1/8 miles on dirt at Chukyo Racecourse in Japan, holding off a late run from Wilson Tesoro to prevail by a nose.

Lemon Pop, who will enter stud in Japan in 2025, became the second horse to win the $1.55 million Champions Cup in consecutive years. Lemon Pop won the race in 2023, the year he was honored as Japan’s outstanding dirt horse. Transcend won the Champions Cup in 2010 and 2011, when it was known as the Japan Cup Dirt.

Lemon Pop’s flawless record in Japan in the last 24 months will make him a massive favorite to win the third Grade 1 race of his career in Sunday’s Champions Cup at 1 1/8 miles on dirt at Chukyo Racecourse.

The $1.55 million Champions Cup will be Lemon Pop’s final start before retirement. Lemon Pop has won 12 of 17 starts.

Lemon Pop, a 6-year-old Kentucky-bred horse, won the 2023 Champions Cup and can become the second horse to win the race in consecutive years. Transcend achieved the milestone in 2010 and 2011.

By Declan Schuster

Alexis Pouchin will join a long list of French jockeys to ply their trade in Hong Kong when he debuts with five rides at Sha Tin’s 10-race fixture on Sunday (1 December).

Pouchin, 24, has enjoyed an unbelievable year with six Group 1 wins. He is renowned for an association with Mqse De Sevigne – one of Europe’s best older horses – after winning five Group 1 races aboard the mare for legendary trainer Andre Fabre. Pouchin has over 400 wins and his top-level triumphs have come via Metropolitan, Vertical Blue, Haya Zark and Simca Mille.

By Daryl Timms

Top Australian jockey Blake Shinn flies back into Hong Kong on the eve of the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) for important rides at Sha Tin in two of the four Group 1 features on Sunday, 8 December.

He is on a mission to give a visiting Australian horse its first victory at Hong Kong’s biggest meeting of the year since Falvelon’s success in the 2001 Hong Kong Sprint (1000m).

Paul Lally: 
R1: 4-9-10-1 
R2: 2-3-6-5 
R3: 3-12-6-2 
R4: 9-4-2-6 
R5: 4-13-1-5 
R6: 2-10-8-7 
R7: 9-12-5-10 
R8: 8-5-10-13 
R9: 6-11-5-12 
R10: 4-3-8-1 
Best Bet R9 N6 Dragon Joy 
Longshot R7 N9 Supreme Lucky 
Play R10 QQP 3-4-8 

Sha Tin Selections
(Sunday, December 01, 2024)

R1 1-4-8-5
R2 1-7-9-12
R3 8-10-2-9
R4 1-6-7-9
R5 5-4-2-8
R6 5-1-3-9
R7 9-10-1-11
R8 4-6-7-1
R9 1-7-4-8

Best Bet R5 N5 Fatal Blow
Longshot R9 N1 California Voce
Play R8 QQP 4-6-7

Nick Child:

R1 | 2-1-5-11
R2 | 6-1-2-4
R3 | 10-8-6-2
R4 | 1-7-9-3
R5 | 5-4-11-8
R6 | 8-1-5-2
R7 | 4-1-10-2
R8 | 4-2-6-7 (Q/QP 2-4-6)
R9 | 7-8-4-5 (F/C 7-8)

Since his short-term contract commenced on 17 November, McDonald has won a pair of Group 2 races – atop Voyage Bubble and Romantic Warrior – and partnered three straight doubles to total six wins from 24 rides for a stunning 25%-win strike rate.

British trainer Ralph Beckett admits local star Ka Ying Rising looks an “absolute monster” but is relishing the chance to take him on in the HK$26 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) with sensational G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (1000m) winner Starlust.

Beckett is familiar with the city’s racing landscape, having trained for some of its most prominent owners, while Muhannak and Chemical Charge represented him ably in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (2400m) in 2008 and 2017.

By Scott Burton

There may be other jockeys who arrive at Happy Valley on 4 December for the HK$1 million LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC) with more fanfare, or on the back of recent big race successes.