Golden Sixty Keeps Win Streak Intact in Gold Cup

A trio of big races on the Feb. 21 program at Sha Tin Racecourse showcased the importance of the Hong Kong Derby to local racing—but did nothing at all to help sort out this year's muddled Derby picture.

Along the way, local superstar Golden Sixty extended his winning streak to 13 and trainer John Size notched his 1,300th Hong Kong victory.

Perhaps 13 is a lucky number in the Year of the Ox.

Golden Sixty just did keep his streak intact in the Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (G1). Unleashing his typical stretch blitz for jockey Vincent Ho, the 5-year-old Medaglia d'Oro  gelding hooked up with Furore and battled head-to-head with that rival through the final 200 meters, just putting a short head in front at the wire. Exultant was a game third, 1 1/4 lengths in arrears while racing short of his optimum distance.

The effort was all the more impressive as Golden Sixty was tackling 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) for the first time since winning the 2020 BMW Hong Kong Derby. He had been competing primarily at one mile or thereabouts but Ho expressed confidence before the Gold Cup that the late-race effort would be there, no matter the total distance.

"Once he went past Exultant he wanted to lay in," Ho said. "It made it difficult for me but it's still a victory. I was quite confident that I would stay ahead of them but we fought hard. It wasn't easy. It was a bit unexpected to be that close."

Golden Sixty already inhabits rarified Hong Kong racing air. He has 16 wins from 17 starts and is four shy of Silent Witness's record 17 consecutive wins. He also is only two wins back of Beauty Generation's single-season record of eight victories.

Trainer Francis Lui said he will consider pushing Golden Sixty even farther—to the 2,400-meters (about 1 1/2 miles) of the Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (G1) May 23. That would be right in Exultant's wheelhouse.

The final stages of the Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup (G1) were similar to the end of the Gold Cup except that when Waikuku got to the front for jockey Joao Moreira with some 200 meters to go, he kicked away to a clear win.

Southern Legend gave chase but settled for second, 1 1/4 lengths back, with Mighty Giant third. Waikuku notched his first win since the Stewards' Cup (G1) Jan. 19, 2020, and gave trainer John Size his 1,300th Hong Kong victory.

"He had some interruptions earlier in the season," Size said, explaining Waikuku's long absence from the winner's arch on the Sha Tin apron. "He had a temperature and he was out of work for quite a while. Back to 1,400 meters was probably pretty suitable for him with our competition just at present and he likes a fast track, so he was able to run some time.

"So, he had a couple of advantages today that he doesn't normally get so he was able to win the race convincingly."

Size, who relocated to Hong Kong from Australia 20 years ago, humbly shrugged off the 1,300-win mark, saying, "It probably means I've been here a long time and I'm doing my job well."

The two group 1 events pointed clearly to the importance of the Hong Kong Derby to the local racing community. Golden Sixty won the 2020 Derby, Furore and Waikuku finished first and second, respectively, in 2019, and Exultant was third in the 2018 renewal.

So, what about the 2021 Derby, set for March 21?

Go figure.

The third big race on the program at Sha Tin Racecourse Sunday was the Hong Kong Classic Cup, the second leg of the Derby series and a chance for a chaotic mix of 4-year-olds to sort themselves out a bit—which they did not do.

Instead, Healthy Happy at odds of 22-1, led all the way, holding off the late bid of 80-1 shot Russian Emperor by a neck with 9-1 chance Shadow Hero a nose back in third. The putative favorite, Excellent Proposal, rallied from far back to finish fourth.

Healthy Happy, a Zoustar gelding, picked up his third win from five starts with the earlier efforts in class 3 and class 2 affairs. Alexis Badel had the reins for the first time for trainer Frankie Lor.

"I think the horse had a chance," Lor said. "But I wasn't sure he could win because it was the first time at 1,800 meters. But I think the jockey is really smart. He didn't go that fast, so I can say I 'steal' the race?"

Russian Emperor is one to watch in the 2,000 meters of the Derby. He is by Ireland's supreme sire Galileo out of the champion Australian mare Atlantic Jewel, a daughter of Fastnet Rock.

"I always said the Derby would be his day. The blinkers have certainly got his mind switched on," trainer Douglas Whyte said of Russian Emperor.

Another country heard from could be Panfield, a 4-year-old Lookin At Lucky  colt who won the rather slowly run class 2 Ambitious Dragon Handicap at 2,000 meters on the same program for trainer Tony Millard. Ambitious Dragon was one of Millard's two Derby winners and he said the Derby conditions fit Panfield like a topper.

"He's a proper Derby horse and if they went a little harder here, he would have won by more," Millard said. "He's the real deal."