Waikuku Stuns in Stewards' Cup Upset of Golden Sixty

Waikuku stunned the Hong Kong racing world Jan. 23 at Sha Tin Racecourse, ending the 16-race win streak of Golden Sixty with a stubborn three-quarters-length victory in the Stewards' Cup (G1).

Golden Sixty, the reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year, dominated his local rivals for more than two years and successfully saw off some top foreign invaders during his long run of supremacy. But when set down by jockey Vincent Ho to catch Waikuku in the final 200 meters of the Stewards' Cup, he was missing the punch that has served him so well.

Streak ended! @zpurton delivers a masterclass atop Waikuku to deny Golden Sixty in the Stewards' Cup. #HKracing pic.twitter.com/m5FdeZXczF

— HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) January 23, 2022

The champ was gaining as the finish loomed but never seemed in danger of getting there in time. He settled for second, three-quarters of a length in front of Russian Emperor . Silent Witness still reigns supreme in Hong Kong, his record of 17 straight wins remaining the standard.

This time around, Golden Sixty looked to be laboring near the back of the pack down the riverside back straight as the pace slowed, then slowed some more. He kicked in when Ho found him room outside rivals straightening out into the stretch but, by that time, Zac Purton had Waikuku out to the lead and he wasn't for catching.

The final time for the 1,600 meters (about a mile) was 1:34.82.

Silence greeted the upset because pandemic restrictions kept the Sha Tin grandstand devoid of fans. Even had the massive facility been packed, there likely would have been a stunned silence anyway.

"I was really happy with the way the race was run. I was in a lovely rhythm and I knew he was going to give me a kick. But with Golden Sixty in the race, you're never home until you pass the post," said Purton, who is chasing Joao Moreira in the Hong Kong jockey standings after a mid-season injury layoff.

"He's run many horses down the last few years," Purton said of Golden Sixty. "He's a champion and obviously the race wasn't run to suit him today."

Golden Sixty's trainer, Francis Lui, said an inside draw combined with a slow mid-race pace combined against his champion.

"The horse is OK. He appears to have pulled up well," Lui said. "It was just the draw. The way the race was run, he needed to be closer but, from the inside, it wasn't possible today."

Waikuku, a 7-year-old Harbour Watch  gelding, started his career in Ireland with trainer John Oxx before moved to Hong Kong, where John Size conditions him for Jocelyn Siu Yang Hin Ting. He scored his eighth win in Hong Kong and has a nice résumé of his own including victories in the 2020 Stewards' Cup, with Beauty Generation second, and the 2021 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup (G1). He finished second in the 2019 BMW Hong Kong Derby.

Lui said options for Golden Sixty now include the Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup at 1,400 meters (about seven furlongs) or defending his crown in the Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (G1) going back up in trip to 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles). Both races are Feb 20. There has been talk of an overseas trip, likely to Japan, later in the year.

Stronger Holds Off Sky Field

In the day's co-featured Centenary Sprint Cup (G1), Stronger battled down the stretch with Sky Field, holding on to win by a head after 1,200 meters (about six furlongs) in 1:08.78. Hot King Prawn was in hot pursuit after some traffic problems at the top of the lane but could only finish third, another half-length in arrears.

Sky Field was last seen winning the breakdown-marred Longines Hong Kong Sprint (G1) in December—a race in which Stronger finished fifth with some damage to a leg.

"Stronger came out of that International run significantly injured," trainer Douglas Whyte said. "He was lucky to get away with the injuries that he had but he pulled through and we sent him up to Conghua for a while and brought him back and trialed him and got his confidence back.

"Since that trial, he hasn't put a foot wrong."

The Hong Kong Jockey Club's massive new training facility and racetrack at Conghua on the Chinese Mainland is specifically designed and qualified for treatment and rehab of injuries.

Stronger, a 5-year-old by Not A Single Doubt , not only ended a long winless streak but provided some group 1 consolation for his rider, Ho, and the first group 1 winner for trainer Whyte, a 13-time Hong Kong champion jockey. He is owned by Cheung Hon Kit, Joanna Cheung Wai Sze, and Jonathan Cheung Yu Shing.

"His trial last week he indicated he would arrive in great shape but, I tell you, today was the longest 400 meters of my life so far," Whyte said of the stretch run. "Look, he was vulnerable. But he dug deep and that's all that matters.

"It was a very long 400 meters."