Golden Sixty Shines Again in Jockey Club Mile

Even a cursory glance at the triple feature on the Nov. 21 program at Sha Tin Racecourse would have led to the judgment that Golden Sixty was the sure thing and, after that, well … hmmm.

And that's how it played out as the best of Hong Kong's horse population battled it out for a chance at the four group 1 events comprising the Longines Hong International Races over the same turf Dec. 12.

Golden Sixty, Hong Kong's reigning Horse of the Year, rolled to an easy, last-to-first victory in the BOCHK Private Wealth Jockey Club Mile (G2), scoring his 15th straight win even though jockey Vincent Ho said he was far from totally fit in his seasonal debut after three trial heats.

"He definitely wasn't at his best today and we're still building him up," Ho said. "After this race he should be pretty close to his top form. We'll see how he pulls up and do some recovery work on him and get him ready for the Internationals."

No matter the fitness of his mount, Ho rode with supreme confidence, holding Golden Sixty last by a good margin into the turn, then coming wide around rivals to hit the front inside the 100-meter mark. Once there, Golden Sixty strode out to win by one length. The final time on the good turf was 1:34.55.

The local superstar was followed home by two good ones—multiple group 1 winner Waikuku and reigning BMW Hong Kong Derby winner Sky Darci. 

Golden Sixty won last year's Longines Hong Kong Mile (G1) and, despite an expected influx of talent from abroad, is likely to be a heavy favorite to repeat as he rewrites the Hong Kong record books.

The Jockey Club Mile win boosted Golden Sixty, a Medaglia d'Oro   gelding, to his 18th overall win in Hong Kong, equaling the mark held jointly by Beauty Generation. His 15 successive victories have him just two shy of Silent Witness' 17.

"I must say we were confident in this race but I'm happy to see him win again," said typically understated trainer Francis Lui. "This horse has got a very good fighting heart and once he relaxes he has a very good turn of foot."

While Golden Sixty was the "banker" on the program, the other two races were up for grabs. Neither the BOCHK Jockey Club Cup (G2) at 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) nor the BOCHK Private Banking Jockey Club Sprint (G2) at 1,200 meters (about six furlongs) had a solid favorite and longshots rolled home first in both.

The international raiders for the Sprint, Cup, and 2,400-meter (about 1 1/2-mile) Vase on the Dec. 12 program will be encouraged.

Lucky Patch, a 5-year-old El Roca  gelding, rolled down the stretch from the middle of a 10-horse field under jockey Jerry Chau to capture the Sprint by three-quarters of a length from Naboo Attack. The time was 1:07.98.

Although Lucky Patch hasn't measured up to the lofty standards of Hong Kong's long line of top sprinters, he did score his second straight win, both in group 2 events. And he does benefit from the skills of trainer Lui, who also manages Golden Sixty.

Lui praised the effort of 21-year-old Chau, recently out of his apprenticeship, but said Zac Purton, who opted for Naboo Attack on the Jockey Club program, will be back aboard for the big race next month.

The results of the Jockey Club Cup are hard to evaluate as some runners were auditioning for the Cup at the same distance on the December program while others were prepping for the Vase.

In any event, Reliable Team went straight to the front for jockey Derek Leung as the field went into the first turn and wasn't caught, although Ka Ying Star missed by just a neck with a final bid. The favorite, Glorious Dragon, was along for third. The final time was 2:03.86.

Reliable Team went 1-for-12 last season and was 0-for-2 this term as he ventured as high as group 2 for the first time. This time, he put his rivals to sleep behind him before the sprint to the wire.

"We were always trying to get him to lead in the race and he got a bit lucky. There was no pressure on us to go too quick," Leung said. "So the horse was quite relaxed and he's very fit. Step by step, we built the speed up. He responded very well and I think we were very lucky."

Trainer Frankie Lor said Reliable Team is entered for both the Vase and the Cup on Dec. 12 but added, "I think 2,400 meters should be better for him. We need to keep the horse in good form and then we'll see."