Golden Sixty extends unbeaten run to 14 with FWD Champions Mile triumph
Stretched to the limit, Golden Sixty (Medaglia D’Oro) bravely extended his unbeaten run to 14 at Sha Tin yesterday afternoon with a slender victory in the FWD Champions Mile (Gr 1, 1600m).
Undefeated since July, 2019, Golden Sixty also grabbed his fourth successive triumph at the top level, following on from his past two victories this year in the Stewards’ Cup (1600m) and Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m), the first and second legs of Hong Kong’s Triple Crown.
Sent back to his customary position at the rear of the six-runner field under jockey Vincent Ho, the Australian-bred galloper peeled out at the 600-metre mark, rounding the bunched group to hit the front with 400 metres left to run under a full head of steam.
With two lengths on the field and a furlong left to play out, it all seemed done and dusted but a late charge from stablemate More Than This (Striving) pushed him to within a head.
“I did expect the stablemate to be in good form but they went too slow for us really, usually it takes him a while to pick up but they were a bit slow and when I pulled out at the 600-metre mark he was already alongside them, then when I hit the straight he just went for it,” Ho said.
The near invincible five-year-old led home a one-two finish for trainer Francis Lui, clocking 1m 33.45s for the trip, while last year’s winner Southern Legend (Not A Single Doubt) filled third among the six-horse field.
“He’s a very good horse – I was a little bit worried but Golden Sixty is that kind of horse, when he passes the other horses he thinks his job is done but then when he saw another runner coming he turned it on again,” Lui said.
Ho became the first homegrown jockey to snare a Group 1 double on the same day in Hong Kong when the globetrotting mare Loves Only You (Deep Impact) claimed the FWD QEII Cup (2000m) in the following race for trainer Yoshito Yahagi.
“He has never been chased and we learnt today that he still can fight when something chases him, not just when he is doing the chasing, which is good,” Ho said of Golden Sixty.
“That was amazing (to have a crowd), a big thanks to all the fans today who came out, it makes such a difference, the atmosphere and everything is so much different.
“It’s been a good season, seven races for Golden Sixty and I’m happy for him to win this, hopefully he will have a break now until next season, he had a couple of tough runs these past two,” the rider said.
Lui is undecided whether to send Golden Sixty to the Champions & Chater Cup (Gr 1, 2400m) on 23 May, the third and final leg of Hong Kong’s Triple Crown.
“Depends, I will see how the horse recovers and then decide because the Triple Crown is still under consideration, I don’t think the distance is a worry, he’s that kind of horse who will fight no matter what, it just depends on how he recovers,” Lui said.
The gelding would be chanced with becoming the second horse in history to claim Hong Kong’s Triple Crown after River Verdon (Be My Native) in 1994.
The 131 locally-rated galloper now sits three shy of Silent Witness’ (El Moxie) 17-win unbeaten streak, a Hong Kong record.
“If I can break the record it would be great but I’m not pushing myself to do so, it depends on the horse, he is a good horse but I don’t want to kill him,” Lui said.
By Declan Schuster
Vincent Ho engineers Japanese clean sweep of FWD QEII Cup in remarkable Sha Tin coup
Yoshito Yahagi savoured redemption and Vincent Ho jubilated in the best day of his burgeoning career after the veteran Japanese trainer and the young Hong Kong jockey combined with devastating effect as Loves Only You triumphed in the FWD QEII Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) at Sha Tin yesterday.
Confirming Japan’s towering status as an international staying powerhouse, Loves Only You crowned a stunning domination of the race by the visitors with Glory Vase (Deep Impact), Daring Tact (Epiphaneia) and Kiseki (Rulership) filling the first four places.
Exultant (Teofilo) (fifth), the 2020 winner, led home Hong Kong’s brigade ahead of Glorious Dragon (Teofilo) (sixth) and Time Warp (Archipenko) (seventh).
Globe-trotting Yahagi has exulted in victories in Dubai and Australia but, until today, the flamboyant handler had never triumphed in Hong Kong.
All of that changed with a precision ride from Ho as the 30-year-old became the first home-grown jockey in history to ride two Group 1 winners in a day at Sha Tin.
“I can’t describe it,” Ho said, reacting to a pair of Group 1 successes in the space of 40 minutes.
“The horse (Loves Only You) is in form, for sure. She was very kind until the 800 (metre mark) then sort of hit a flat spot and I gave her two shakes just to teach her a little bit and then I asked her again and she responded very well through the line.
“I didn’t dare to look back until the finish line but she was amazing. I’m grateful that the Japanese connections asked me to ride her.
“The QEII Cup is one of my dream goals as well as the Derby and the December internationals, a QEII win means a lot.
“It’s amazing today with Golden Sixty and Loves Only You. It’s definitely one of the highlights, I’ll enjoy it for sure.”
Ho said he had not been burdened with instructions from Yahagi, who watched the race from Japan.
“Mr Yahagi gave me free rein to just let me do whatever because he knew the horse was well and once she’s travelling well with her own pace, she will perform,” Ho said.
“That’s my first win on a Japanese-trained horse in Hong Kong but let’s hope one day in the summer I can go to Japan to ride, that would be a great experience for me. I’ve still got a lot to learn and riding in different countries definitely helps.”
Yahagi’s assistant trainer Yusaku Oka hinted at how much it meant to the stable to avenge Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) winner Lys Gracieux’s (Heart’s Cry) defeat in Hong Kong in 2019.
“We came here two years ago with Lys Gracieux and unfortunately we didn’t win, so we did revenge for this race, this time so that makes me very happy.
“Thank you Dubai Racing Club and Hong Kong Jockey Club very much for the support. This is a very difficult situation and we had great support. Humans have a hard situation with coronavirus, but also horses, too.
“When she travelled from Dubai to Hong Kong and I saw the horse in Hong Kong and I saw her body looked really good. I wasn’t much worried about her preparation. She was in great order.
“Vincent Ho rode her really, really well.”
Oka revealed the mare might return to Hong Kong in December.
“We’ll see how she gets back to Japan and we’ll talk with the trainers and owners. We will then make the decision on the future,” he said. “There is a big option (to come back) because she won here in Hong Kong this year.”
Daring Tact’s jockey Kohei Matsuyama said: “She gave us a good run as usual. I know she was very heavily supported so the first thing I have to say is that I’m sorry.
“For the excuse, I cannot find an appropriate one for her today. The first two that came ahead of her ran a great race.”
Karis Teetan spoke of runner-up Glory Vase: “He ran great, I was following Vincent (Ho) and he pinched the race on the home turn,” while Chad Schofield said Kiseki tried hard.
Zac Purton said Exultant had again given his best: “He was honest, he ran his usual race – he gave everything.”
By Leo Schlink
Wellington justifies Richard Gibson’s faith with stunning Chairman’s Sprint Prize triumph
Trainer Richard Gibson yesterday claimed a second Chairman’s Sprint Prize (Gr 1, 1200m) at Sha Tin with potentially outstanding four-year-old Wellington (All Too Hard) as Japan’s race favourite Danon Smash (Lord Kanaloa) performed below expectations.
The Australian-bred gelding, a PPG (Privately Purchased Griffin) for Mr and Mrs Michael Cheng Wing On and Jeffrey Cheng Man Cheong, was the least experienced runner in the 13-horse field; contesting a Group 1 for the first time and ridden by Hong Kong-based Frenchman Alexis Badel, who had not previously ridden in any FWD Champions Day Group 1 races.
Wellington scored his seventh win from just ten starts and his sixth from seven starts at the course and distance as he added to Gibson’s previous success with Gold-Fun (Le Vie Dei Colori) in 2015.
Wellington produced a powerful finish from midfield, running his last 400 metres in a sizzling 21.66secs, to overhaul the front-runner Computer Patch (Exceed And Excel) who had been sweetly rated by Matthew Chadwick. The winning margin was a decisive one and a half lengths, with the same gap to third-placed Sky Field (Deep Field) under Blake Shinn.
Gibson’s charge, the 23rd Australian-bred winner, became just the fourth four-year-old to win the coveted, now a Group 1 prize – following Silent Witness (El Moxie) (2004), Sacred Kingdom (Encosta De Lago) (2008) and Ivictory (Mossman) (2018).
The trainer will now afford the horse the opportunity to match the Hong Kong sprinting icons Silent Witness and Sacred Kingdom by aiming at the Hong Kong Sprint (Gr 1, 1200m) – a race twice won by each of the former stars after Chairman’s Sprint Prize success.
“He’ll have a good rest and we’ll see you here in December,” said Gibson who was delighted to see Wellington win for loyal owners.
“It’s a great win for Hong Kong,” he said. “It’s fantastic to see the fans back today and I’m just delighted for the owners. They were one of the first owners in my stable when I came here. They’ve been very loyal and supportive and it’s a great satisfaction to source and deliver such a great horse. He came from Australia and he was sourced from the trials.
“I always thought we would probably get to the winning enclosure but the road is a little bit rocky, life’s never easy but it’s great to get there in the end.”
Wellington bounced back from an uncharacteristic failure in the Sprint Cup (Gr 2, 1200m) on April 5.
“It’s difficult to hide your disappointment on those days but we had faith in our team and in our horse and he delivered today.
“As a trainer, you’ve got to take the rough with the smooth. We’re very confident in what we do with our horses in Hong Kong and a win like today, hopefully we can build up our stable strength,” he said.
Badel, France’s champion apprentice in 2007 and in his fourth Hong Kong riding stint, was understandably delighted with his biggest success in his adopted home.
“It’s definitely a fantastic moment because I’ve known this horse since last season and he’s been great to me. He gave me a lot of winners and I feel just so happy and blessed to be back on him because it’s never easy to jump on a good horse here and win a big race like that.
“It’s fantastic and I’m glad for Richard Gibson, his trainer, because he’s been very good to me. He gave me a lot of support since my first season here and it’s fantastic to deliver in such a big day,” Badel said.
Badel’s ability to have the horse settle better than at his previous start was the key to victory.
“He had a perfect trip. The horse was much more relaxed than last time. Honestly the draw last time was a bit difficult and the ground was faster as well, so it was difficult for me to relax the horse without giving ground.
“Today, I had the perfect race, just close to the pace and more relaxed and when I put a little bit of pressure on my horse, he responded very well. To me, he’s a top-class horse and he just proved it today,” Badel said.
Danon Smash, who won the 2020 Hong Kong Sprint (Gr 1, 1200m) last December, began moderately and was hard ridden throughout by Joao Moreira and was beaten four lengths into sixth place.
“He was under pressure at the 600 metres – there was nothing there,” Moreira said.