Loves Only You, Golden Sixty Impress at Hong Kong

The last big day of the Hong Kong racing season defied pandemic restrictions to produce an impressive international spectacle, replete with a return of fans to the Sha Tin Racecourse grandstand for FWD Champions Day April 25.

Golden Sixty won his 14th straight race—barely—to star for the locals. Danon Smash  and Daring Tact disappointed for the overseas visitors but Loves Only You  picked up the slack nicely with a performance that promises to make her a force on the international scene.

Local rider Vincent Ho also took a star turn, winning two of the day's three group 1 races.

Champions Day marked the first major racing event of the season staged in front of members of the public. The crowd was limited by the COVID-19 pandemic precautions but it was a promising sign for the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

"With the support of the Government and the way they trust us and the support of our sponsor, we were able to have our fans back at the track," said HKJC CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges.

"It was especially satisfying that our Japanese friends trusted our systems enough to come here," he added. 

The Japanese visitors gave the locals a total thrashing in the 2,000-meter (about 1 1/4 miles) FWD QE II Cup (G1), filling the first four positions while churning up a genuine player on the international scene.

The early stages of the QE II Cup played out according to script with Time Warp  making the early lead while attempting to set the stage for stablemate Exultant, Hong Kong's reigning Horse of the Year and winner of this event a year earlier.

As the seven-horse field neared the end of the backstretch, it was obvious it was not Exultant's day. Instead, Ho was revving the engine on Loves Only You. The Deep Impact mare was challenging for the lead turning for home and, with nothing threatening, went on to win by 3/4 length. Glory Vase, winner of the 2019 Longines Hong Kong Cup, edged Japan's 2020 3-year-old filly champ Daring Tact for second and Kiseki  finished fourth.

"The horse is in form, for sure," Ho said. "She was very kind until the 800 (meters), 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," Ho added.

Loves Only You appears to have come into her own at age 5. She was last seen finishing third, beaten just two necks, in the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) March 27 at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai behind only Mishriff  and Chrono Genesis .

Assistant trainer Yusaku Oka said Loves Only You has stood up well to her travels and could return in December for the Longines Hong Kong Cup (G1).

"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.

Daring Tact's jockey Kohei Matsuyama said he was at a loss to explain her failure to fire. "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."

If the QE II Cup was expected to be the most contentious of the day's three group 1's, the FWD Champion's Mile (G1) loomed as a walk in the park for Golden Sixty The Hong Kong wonder horse, a Medaglia d'Oro   gelding, was seeking his 14th straight win and faced only familiar local foes.

It did appear the matter was put to rest 300 meters out in the contest as Ho sent Golden Sixty to circle the leaders and sprinted well clear of his five rivals. Things were a lot less clear a few seconds later as his stablemate, More Than This, found a sudden burst of speed for jockey Joao Moreira, falling just a head short of a major upset. Southern Legend was third in an all-Hong Kong event.

"He has never been chased and we learned 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.

Trainer Francis Lui contributed: "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."

Golden Sixty's 14 consecutive wins leave him just three shy of the Hong Kong record of 17, held by Silent Witness. Lui said it's possible he could take on the 2,400 meters (about 1 1/2 miles) of the Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (G1) May 23 where a win would make him only the second horse to capture the Hong Kong "Triple Crown" series.

"I don't think the distance is a worry," Lui said. "He's that kind of horse who will fight no matter what. It just depends on how he recovers."

Ho, a graduate of the HKJC Jockey School, became the first locally trained jockey to win two group 1 events on a single day in Hong Kong—a source of great pride for the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

"The Club makes a very significant commitment and investment in local talent and development because we are absolutely committed to realizing the potential that evidently does exist in Hong Kong," said Andrew Harding, executive director of racing for the HKJC.

The day's upset was the Chairman's Sprint Prize (G1) as Japan's highly fancied Danon Smash could never get involved for Moreira. Instead, it was Wellington, under Alexis Badel, taking a late lead and making it stand up for a 1 1/2-lengths score. Computer Patch edged Sky Field for second.

Danon Smash, who won the Longines Hong Kong Sprint (G1) in December and entered the Chairman's Sprint Prize on the back of a victory in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen (G1) at home, was sixth, beaten 4 lengths. "He was under pressure at the 600 meters—there was nothing there," Moreira said.

Wellington, a 4-year-old All Too Hard gelding, picked up his seventh win from 10 starts and now looms a force in Hong Kong sprinting. Trainer Richard Gibson, noting that Hong Kong legends Silent Witness and Sacred Kingdom both used this race as a springboard to victory in the Longines Hong Kong Sprint (G1), said he's plotting a similar course for Wellington.

"He'll have a good rest and we'll see you here in December," Gibson said.

By that time, perhaps the massive Sha Tin grandstand will be full again and the rest of the world can be in the competition.