HKIR: Familiar Irish names entered for Hong Kong

There are a few names familiar to American racegoers that are heading to Hong Kong for the international raceday next month. Most are from Ireland.

The foreign challenge for the four rich turf races includes a quartet from Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle team, all of whom have run in the United States.

Heading O’Brien’s team is the shock 2020 Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) winner Order of Australia. A failure in the Hong Kong Mile (G1) in 2020 behind local champ Golden Sixty, he will avoid the local hero this year and try his luck in the $4.35 million Hong Kong Cup (G1) at about 1 1/4 miles. A decent sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile this year, Order of Australia will be running past a mile for the first time since October 2020.

O’Brien also has three horses set for the $2.82 million Hong Kong Vase (G1) over about 1 1/2 miles. The trio seeking to give O’Brien a fourth victory in the race are the second-place finishers of the past two editions of the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1), Stone Age and Broome, and the 2021 Belmont Derby (G1) winner Bolshoi Ballet.

The biggest challenger to the O’Brien trio is likely to be the aptly-named Glory Vase, winner of the race in 2019 and 2021. He and the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) runner-up Win Marilyn fly the flag for Japan.

Other Vase runners include Germany’s Mendocino and the French pair of Bubble Gift and Botanik. The Hong Kong trio of Butterfield, Panfield, and Senor Toba will need to improve to be competitive.

The $3.84 million Mile, on the other hand, will be favored to stay in Hong Kong via the aforementioned Golden Sixty. A winner of 22 races from 25 starts and $13.2 million, Golden Sixty is seeking his third consecutive triumph in the race and will be at short odds. The four-year-old California Spangle, second to Golden Sixty in his last two starts, and last year’s runner-up More Than This look the best of the other Hong Kong runners.

Japan’s challenge for the race comes from the last two NHK Mile Cup (G1) winners, Schnell Meister and Danon Scorpion, and last year’s Hong Kong Mile third Salios. Britain sends an interesting challenger in the form of the three-time Group 1-winning mare Saffron Beach, while Australia is represented by the former Irish galloper Laws of Indices.

Order of Australia faces a very interesting group in the Cup. Five horses will seek to give Japan a fourth consecutive triumph, headed by the bold frontrunner Panthalassa, who dead-heated for first in the Dubai Turf (G1) and was then second in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) (G1) Oct. 30.

Jack D’Or and Geoglyph, fourth and ninth in the Tenno Sho (Autumn), also make the trip from Japan, as does Mile Championship (G1) runner-up Danon the Kid and Osaka Hai (G1) runner-up Lei Papale.

Seven horses will seek to win the Cup for Hong Kong for the first time since 2018, and they have possibly their best chance since that year in the form of Romantic Warrior, a winner of eight of his nine starts. Given that last year’s third-place finisher Russian Emperor is out of form, the best of the other Hong Kong runners is probably Tourbillon Diamond.

The $3.07 million Hong Kong Sprint (G1), over about six furlongs, has fallen to local horses in seven of the last eight years, and they will be favored to win it again. Hong Kong’s established champion sprinter Wellington seeks a first win in the race, but he faces a tough challenge from the improving four-year-old Lucky Sweynesse, winner of the Jockey Club Sprint (G2) Nov. 20. Last year’s winner Sky Field looks the best of the other Hong Kong runners.

Last year’s runner-up Resistencia is one of three contestants from Japan; the other pair are the winners of Japan’s two six-furlong Group 1 races this year, Takamatsunomiya Kinen (G1) hero Naran Huleg and Sprinters Stakes victor Gendarme.

Rounding off the field for the Sprint is a rare runner from Singapore in Lim’s Kosciuszko, an Australian-bred who has won 11 of his 14 races, including two local Group 1 contests.

The Hong Kong International races will be held at Sha Tin on Dec. 11.

Hong Kong International Day Runners

Hong Kong Sprint: Cordyceps Six (HK), Duke Wai (HK), Gendarme (Japan), Lim’s Kosciuszko (Singapore), Lucky Patch (HK), Lucky Sweynesse (HK), Meikei Yell (Japan), Naran Huleg (Japan), Resistencia (Japan), Sight Success (HK), Sky Field (HK), Stronger (HK), Super Wealthy (HK), Wellington (HK).

Hong Kong Mile: Beauty Joy (HK), California Spangle (HK), Danon Scorpion (Japan), Excellent Proposal (HK), Golden Sixty (HK), Laws of Indices (Australia), More Than This (HK), Saffron Beach (UK), Salios (Japan), Schnell Meister (Japan), Turin Redsun (HK), Waikuku (HK).

Hong Kong Cup: Danon the Kid (Japan), Geoglyph (Japan), Jack D’Or (Japan), Ka Ying Star (HK), Lei Papale (Japan), Money Catcher (HK), Order of Australia (Ireland), Panthalassa (Japan), Romantic Warrior (HK), Russian Emperor (HK), Savvy Nine (HK), Tourbillon Diamond (HK).

Hong Kong Vase: Bolshoi Ballet (Ireland), Botanik (France), Broome (Ireland), Bubble Gift (France), Butterfield (HK), Glory Vase (Japan), Mendocino (Germany), Panfield (HK), Senor Toba (HK), Stone Age (Ireland), Win Marilyn (Japan).