Hong Kong Diaries: The Horses with U.S. Connections
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Sunday’s Longines Hong Kong International Races are some of the preeminent grass races in the world; but for all but the most dedicated horse racing fans, getting to know all of these incredible horses from around the world is a task both daunting and time consuming.
I’ve been incredibly lucky to be here in Hong Kong for the last week as part of the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s social media team, and part of my assignment was to photograph the international runners training in the morning.
For that reason, I’m going to give you my thoughts on the horses with American connections running on Sunday to give you an idea of how they look. The races should be fun to bet and thrilling to watch, so please be sure to tune in here with the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s free livestream.
I’m going to group the horses by what race they’re running in here, then tell you their American connection, then finally what I think of their chances. Ready? Let’s go!
The Longines Hong Kong Vase
Horse: Flintshire
American Connection: Won the Sword Dancer Invitational Stakes this summer at Saratoga; second in the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Turf.
Penelope’s Take: Love this horse. He won this race last year, and he’s been training so well on the turf course at Sha Tin. He’s a consummate professional and I think he has every chance to get back in the Hong Kong Vase winner’s circle in 2015.
Horse: Highland Reel
American Connection: He won the Secretariat Stakes at Arlington Park over the summer.
Penelope’s Take: He’s got a major task ahead of him by taking on this field; he’s a talented horse, to be sure, but he’s only 3 years old and a lot of these horses have some major experience under their girths. That being said, this precocious horse has run in America, Australia, Great Britain and France this year alone and he’s training like a beast here, too. I’m not convinced he can win, but I think he can finish in the top three.
The Longines Hong Kong Sprint
Horse: Mongolian Saturday
American Connection: Won this year’s Breeders’ Cup TwinSpires Turf Sprint.
Penelope’s Take: He’s the most relaxed horse I think I’ve ever seen. He spends about 10 minutes each morning just hanging out on the racetrack, watching the scene, and his rider, Santiago Aragon, doesn’t even have to hold the reins to keep him in control. Will he win the Sprint here? I’m not sure about that, but I know I’ll be cheering the loudest if he does.
Horse: Green Mask
American Connection: Almost his entire career! This U.S.-bred has raced in the states in 10 of his 11 lifetime starts.
Penelope’s Take: I would never count the Green Mask’s trainer, Wesley Ward, out in international competition, but the Green Mask was plagued with some problems with his shoes earlier on this week. Watch for him to come in second or third with a strong effort.
The Longines Hong Kong Mile
Horse: Esoterique
American Connection: Ran in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Mile.
Penelope’s Take: Gosh, I wish I didn’t have to say this because I love this mare, but I do not like the way she has looked training into this race. The spark just wasn’t there to me, and as much as I hate to put this in words, Esoterique is out of my betting tickets.
Horse: Mondialiste
American Connection: Second in the Breeders’ Cup Mile and won Canada’s Ricoh Woodbine Mile.
Penelope’s Take: Oh, yeah. He’s going in my tickets. This horse has heart to spare, and I think he’s peaking at just the right time. The only question here is whether the dry turf will suit him (he likes to win on wetter, softer grass), but I think he has every shot in this race. Plus, he’s about 150-1 here and there’s no way I’m not getting in on those odds.
The Longines Hong Kong Cup
Horse: Gailo Chop
American Connection: Ran in the 2014 Belmont Derby in New York.
Penelope’s Take: I liked this horse as he was training, but word came down that he’s not feeling 100% sound after his final pre-Cup gallop on Saturday. That makes me lose my faith; but if he passes the vet exam on Sunday, I wouldn’t fault anyone from playing him in this race.
I hope you enjoy the Longines Hong Kong International Races today, and if you want to follow along with the horses from home, you can watch the livestream (hyperlinked again here) or follow the #HKIR hashtag on Twitter.
I’ll be back with a recap of Sunday and my thoughts on Hong Kong a little later on this week. Until then, I hope you cash lots of tickets and enjoy watching some amazing Thoroughbreds compete.