Hong Kong Classic Cup the Final Prelude to HK Derby

The waters get deeper and the distance longer in the middle leg of Hong Kong's 4-year-old classic series Feb. 23 at Sha Tin Racecourse—the final stop before the BMW Hong Kong Derby.

The series began with the Jan. 27 Hong Kong Classic Mile with Golden Sixty winning his fifth consecutive race for trainer Francis Lui and jockey Vincent Ho. Golden Sixty, a Medaglia d'Oro  gelding, enters the 1,800-meter (about 1 1/8 miles) Hong Kong Classic Cup as the highest-rated of 10 entries.

The other nine include the second, third, and fourth finishers from the Classic Mile—More Than This, Champion's Way and Beauty Legacy, plus Playa Del Puente, who reported seventh in the January heat.

Lui, who trains both Golden Sixty and More Than This, holds a strong hand in the middle leg of the series.

"Golden Sixty has done what has been asked of him every time," Lui said after the Classic Mile win. "Last race he went 1,400 meters, this race was a mile, and next time will be 1,800 meters in the Hong Kong Classic Cup, so we will take it step by step. If he runs well in the Classic Cup, we will go to the Derby."

Golden Sixty spiked a fever after winning the Classic Mile, casting doubt on his entry in the Classic Cup, but passed a key test Feb. 18, handling a routine morning gallop. If the health issue or the added distance should trouble him, More Than This, a Dutch Art gelding, would still have the trainer's confidence even though he has never ran farther than one mile.

"I think More Than This can handle the Derby distance. … The main target for both is the Derby," Lui said.

An intriguing prospect for the Classic Cup is Enjoying—if only because Australian reinsman Hugh Bowman arrives on the back of two group 1 wins last weekend at Randwick to take the mount for trainer John Moore.

"Hugh has won a Hong Kong Derby for me on Werther, and his confidence level at the moment, judging from his notable wins last weekend, is very high. That's why my confidence is so high of Enjoying running a big race," Moore said Thursday. "I couldn't be happier. We've got a horse going in that's very fit, he's going into the race in perfect shape, and we believe he should be in the first three."

Moore's optimism notwithstanding, the Dundeel gelding hasn't shown much in four starts this season. His best result was a late-running third in a Class 2 handicap in January.

Those stretching out to the March 7 Derby will be asked to go 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles). Although Hong Kong's international group 1 racing program has blossomed through the past decade and more, the Derby retains a unique cachet among local owners and trainers and is every bit as desirable a target as the internationals.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club, in cooperation with the government, continues to restrict access to its racetracks as part of the effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Apart from trainers, jockeys, Club officials, and stewards with race-day duties, only owners with starters who have made a prior reservation in an owner box will be admitted. All HKJC off-track wagering offices are closed, as are Telebet hotlines. Automated and online wagering remains available.