Japan vs. Hong Kong on Champions Day

The newly structured "Champions Day" at Sha Tin Racecourse April 29 shapes up largely as a defense by the talented home team against a team of raiders from Japan, and one from Dubai, in three group 1 races.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club for the first time has brought together the Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup at 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles), the Champions Mile, and the 1,200-meter (six-furlong) Chairman's Sprint Prize in a powerhouse season capper.

While it lacks the European challengers usually found in the Longines Hong Kong International Races in December, the Champions Day lineup features some intriguing matchups and horses with a presence of their own on the international stage. 

The premier event on the card arguably is the QE II Cup, with a pair of Japanese runners taking on six from local barns.

Time Warp will attempt a unique same-season sweep of Hong Kong's top-level 2,000-meter races when he starts in the QE II Cup. The 5-year-old Archipenko gelding already won the Dec. 10 Longines Hong Kong Cup (G1) and the Feb. 25 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (G1) during the 2017-18 term, and trainer Tony Cruz said Time Warp is "spot on" for the challenge.

However, he also seemed locked and loaded in his last start, the Chairman's Trophy (G2), where he faded through the stretch run to finish last of 10. Neither Cruz nor jockey Zac Purton could explain that performance, which was at 1,600 meters.

"I just hope last time was just one of those things," Purton said. "Getting back to 2,000 meters is his preferred distance. It's only a small field so we'll just see what happens."

The opposition includes BMW Hong Kong Derby winner Ping Hai Star, who rides a four-race win streak. But trainer John Size warned before the April 26 draw he can only hope the Nom Du Jeu gelding has recovered from the exertion of the Derby win.

"He's never had to use that much energy," the trainer said, adding he remains cautiously optimistic about his charge's first group 1 try.

The field also includes a pair of reluctant warriors. Pakistan Star has pulled himself up midway through two recent races, and the better-regarded of the Japanese starters, Al Ain, refused to train when brought to the Sha Tin track three days out from the race. After rearing, bucking, and once dropping exercise rider Yuki Iwasaki during a 57-minute fit of pique, the 4-year-old Deep Impact colt finally submitted to a brief gallop and was returned to his lodgings.

"I doubt very much that we will see it in a race," said trainer Yasutoshi Ikee, who blamed the behavior on unfamiliar surroundings.

The Champions Mile

After the withdrawal of Ireland's Lancaster Bomber, the Mile is an all-Hong Kong affair.

Beauty Generation seeks to become the fourth horse to capture both the Hong Kong Mile in December and the Champions Mile in the fall. The three are all legends—Good Ba Ba in 2007-08, Able Friend in 2014-15, and Maurice in 2015-16. John Moore, who also trained Able Friend, said Beauty Generation is "kicking his brands off at present," in training up to the Mile.

Owner Patrick Kwok Ho Chuen drew the inside gate for Beauty Generation. "I asked John what was his favorite, and he said, 'One,'" the owner reported. "And we got No. 1."

Among the intriguing prospects in the mile is Pingwu Spark, a hulking, 1,300-pound New Zealand import with a promising pedigree but a disappointing draw. The still-developing 5-year-old is by Mastercraftsman out of Sharp Point, a daughter of Point Given whose female lineage traces to Juddmonte homebred Slightly Dangerous, runner-up in the 1982 Epsom Oaks (G1).

"A lot will depend on the draw," said Pingwu Spark's trainer, Benno Yung. "He's a flexible horse, but if he draws wide, he'll have to use his speed to go forward." That hasn't been a good scenario in recent races, and chances dimmed when he drew gate 7 in the eight-horse field.

Trainer Tony Millard opted to send 4-year-old South African import Singapore Sling on this trip rather than the 2,000 meters of the QE II, although he had no fears the horse can handle the distance.

"What I'm thinking about, though, is having a horse for next season," Millard said. "Coming back to the mile gives him a softer run to end this season, which is still his first in Hong Kong. And, hopefully, it is a good steppingstone to next season's big races."

The Chairman's Sprint Prize

Trainer John Size has cornered the market in this heat, saddling five of the nine starters, including last year's runner-up, Mr Stunning.

Discussing the lineup before the draw, Size declined to rate the respective chances of his charges. "The margins just aren't there," he said. "The way our races are run, the one who has luck in running is usually the winner."

He admitted he is happy to have so many contenders but added, "The next step is to try to win it."

The two international competitors are both owned by Godolphin—Blue Point representing Dubai, where he was a gate scratch before the Al Quoz Sprint Sponsored By Azizi Developments (G1) on World Cup night, and Fine Needle from Japan, where he was last seen winning the Takamatsunomya Kinen (G1) March 25.