In the Frame - Beauty and the Warrior
It was an unforgettable FWD Champions Day at Sha Tin Racecourse on 28 April, as its three Group 1 contests wowed punters with some of the most dramatic racing moments of the season. In the FWD Champions Mile, Beauty Eternal (永遠美麗) proved his mettle over Red Lion (紅運帝王) and Voyage Bubble (遨遊氣泡), while the pre-race favourite Golden Sixty (金鎗六十), the city’s most successful racehorse, finished a gallant fourth.
As for the Chairman’s Sprint Prize, it proved to be a new breakthrough for Invincible Sage (賢者無敵): the David Hall-trained four-year-old accelerated to victory in the final 200 metres, concluding its first Group 1 appearance with a bang.
The most anticipated contest, however, was undoubtedly the FWD QEII Cup. In this major showdown, Romantic Warrior (浪漫勇士) stormed past the two leading Japanese horses to win his third consecutive QEII Cup, a never-before-completed feat.
Even before the QE II Cup result, HKJC Paddock Analyst Jenny Chapman had been highly impressed by Romantic Warrior’s outstanding season. “He is my prediction for Horse of the Year,” Chapman declares. “Having won the 2023 W. S. Cox Plate at Moonee Valley, returning to take out the HKIR LONGINES Hong Kong Cup, then winning the Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup showing his superiority, he is the ultimate professional racehorse who continues to rise to the occasion.”
She also has high praise for the late emergence of Massive Sovereign (大至尊): “He has been the biggest surprise to me. At his very first Hong Kong race start, he blew away his opposition to win over 2000 metres. To prove this was no fluke, he then went on to become the Hong Kong Derby winner in spectacular style.” Chapman hopes to see Massive Sovereign excel in his second season.
As the season begins to wind down, there are still exciting reasons to pay close attention in June, as the upcoming contests could prove decisive in the final standings of the leading jockey and trainer. Starting 2 June, Twilight Race Meetings will take place every weekend at Sha Tin Racecourse until the end of the season. Have a look at the new operation hours of Sha Tin Clubhouse venues here, and book your tables now!