Hong Kong | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘I Needed A Good Day Like That’: Red-Hot Moreira Piloted Six Winners Sunday At Sha Tin

Joao Moreira enjoyed one of his most prolific days in the saddle on Sunday at Sha Tin with a six-timer, and he heads to Wednesday's (23 September) eight-race program at Happy Valley looking to continue his red-hot form with a full book of mounts, including Beauty Applause (120lb) in the feature, the Class 2 Big Wave Bay Handicap.

“It was a day I'll never forget!” Moreira said. “I needed a good day like that badly, as I needed to build up my confidence for myself and of course the relationships with the trainers.”

The Brazilian ace has had a flying start to the 2020/21 season with 14 wins from five race meetings and he leads by six in the jockeys' premiership, with Zac Purton and Karis Teetan locked on eight wins.

“I knew I was going to have a good start to the season but six winners in a day at the beginning is always a big plus and hopefully we can keep on kicking winners,” he said.

Moreira's book of midweek mounts is highlighted by his renewed association with the John Size-trained Beauty Applause in the finale, a hot sprint which features 11 others and in which the flashy chestnut will make his city circuit debut.

“It's his first time at the track, so no one knows but he's the kind of horse who indicates that Happy Valley won't be a problem,” Moreira said.

The 5-year-old is a four-time winner over 1200m (about six furlongs), and, since his debut, he has added 35 rating points to his mark (87).

“The races aren't as strong as they are at Sha Tin, so the competition won't be as strong as he has previously faced,” Moreira observed. “His last run over 1400 metres (about seven furlongs), he fatigued over the last 200 metres so the drop back in distance, I think, is going to suit him even better.”

A usual on-pace runner, the Size-trainee will need to contend with gate 10 in the field of 12.

“Two starts ago he didn't jump the best at Sha Tin and he ended up in behind, but he finished off the race very well, so I think we have options with him,” Moreira said.

Wednesday's hot sprint also features last season's Most Improved Horse, the Jimmy Ting-trained Amazing Star (133lb), as well as Waldorf (133lb), Massive Pocket (121lb), California Rad (119lb) and Golden Dash (116lb).

Beauty Applause is not the only Kwok family-owned horse that Moreira will team with on Wednesday evening, the 36-year-old is also set to ride last-start victor Beauty Angel in the Class 4 South Bay Handicap.

“He won his race at Sha Tin where I would say the fields are a little bit stronger, so he just needs to produce what he did at his last start to be a good strong chance at Happy Valley,” the ace rider said.

The Hong Kong International Sale graduate broke through at his 10th and final start of last season and Moreira indicated that he could continue his ascent up the handicap.

“He should improve – last start he showed me he has good character and he does things straightforwardly, so I don't see why he can't take another step forward. I think he'll get into Class 3 in the near future,” Moreira said.

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Hong Kong Racing Weathers the Storm

The 2019-2020 racing calendar in Hong Kong was widely referred to as a “season like no other,” and with good reason.

Racing was threatened first by significant social unrest in and around Hong Kong, on one occasion, at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, no more than a few kilometres from the stables at Sha Tin Racecourse. Having canceled just one meeting due to the protests, the local racing product was later confronted by COVID-19, a pandemic that shut down operations–at least for a time–at the vast majority of worldwide racing jurisdictions. But Hong Kong racing proved resilient, with the season that concluded July 15 at Happy Valley Racecourse holding up extremely well under dire circumstances.

Though attendance was restricted to varying degrees from late January, overall turnover for the season of HK$121.6 billion was down by just 2.6% over the record 2018/2019 figure and was the third-highest recorded in history. The July 15 finale produced record turnover of HK$1.6 billion alone.

“This city shows time and time again that it has a remarkable ‘Can-Do Spirit’ and that has been apparent in the community as a whole, and also within racing,” said HKJC CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges. “It has been difficult, and it may continue to be so for some time yet, but by continuing racing we have shown Hong Kong’s ability to face great challenges and overcome them.”

The turnover generated by Hong Kong bettors on the local product was understandably down by 8.3%, as the Hong Kong Jockey Club was forced to either close or offer barebones services at its 100 Off-Course Betting facilities in addition to the attendance restrictions at the racetracks. The overall handle figures were offset by commingling, which increased to HK$23.58 billion, a 25.3% improvement on last season. Hong Kong wagering on races simulcast into Hong Kong from overseas increased by 12.9%.

“We are pleased with how much interest our customers have in our simulcast programmes from the leading race meetings around the world,” Engelbrecht-Bresges said. “We saw this even more in the second World Pool at Royal Ascot, which proved a huge success–with individual race turnover up by more than 49% on 2019–and we look forward to expanding the World Pool concept next season, with Hong Kong as a vital hub for global wagering.”

The Hong Kong Jockey Club prides itself on contributing to the betterment of Hong Kong society at large. The Club, the city’s largest tax payer, paid HK$12.113 billion to the government in 2019/2020, while a significant sum, including special emergency funding to battle COVID-19, was paid in charitable contributions to a wide range of entities.

Engelbrecht-Bresges said: “There was a compelling public interest element to our desire to continue racing through COVID-19, from Chinese New Year to the end of the season, during which time our tax contribution from racing was more than HK$6.2 billon. This has enabled us to not only keep donations at last year’s level but also increase it due to our contributions via the COVID-19 Emergency Fund.”

Racing returns to Sha Tin Sept. 5.

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Exultant Named Hong Kong Horse of the Year

Exultant (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) was named 2019/2020 Horse of the Year in Hong Kong Thursday in a virtual ceremony, as stricter social distancing protocols within the context of a third wave of coronavirus in the region put pay to the scheduled live proceedings.

Bred by Ballygallon Stud, Exultant won four of his seven trips to the post during the season, calling on all his class and stamina for victories in the G1 FWD Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2000m) and a successful defence of his title in the G1 Standard Chartered Champions and Chater Cup (2400m) (see below). The Tony Cruz-trainee carried 133 pounds in annexing the G3 Centenary Vase H. (1800m), was victorious in the G2 Jockey Club Cup (2000m) and was a gallant third when trying for the repeat in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase (2400m) in December. In addition to Horse of the Year, the son of Contrary (Ire) (Mark of Esteem {Ire}) was also recognized as champion middle distance horse and champion stayer for the second year in a row. Exultant is the first Horse of the Year trained by someone other than John Moore since the 2011-2012 season.

Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d’Oro) became just the second to sweep the 4YO Classics in Hong Kong, winning the Classic Mile and Classic Cup before a stirring success in the BMW Hong Kong Derby. While it wasn’t quite enough to topple the exploits of Exultant, he was the easy winner of the newly instituted 4-Year-Old Champion award. Golden Sixty was a perfect seven-from-seven during the campaign, earning a first group-stakes badge in the G3 Chinese Club Challenge Cup H. (1400m) on New Year’s Day. Trained by Francis Lui and ridden by Tony Cruz Award recipient Vincent Ho, Golden Sixty climbed 37 points in the ratings, from a beginning mark of 75 to his current 112. He was also named most popular horse.

Two-time Horse of the Year Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road to Rock {Aus}) may have lost a step at age seven, but he was accomplished enough to be named champion miler for a remarkable third year on the bounce. Third in search of three straight in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile in December, he was second in the G1 Stewards’ Cup, but displayed his zest for racing

by completing the hat trick in the G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m) before adding the G2 Chairman’s Trophy (1600m). A near-miss second in the G1 Champions Mile in April, Beauty Generation trains on at eight with David Hayes.

The consistent Beat the Clock (Aus) (Hinchinbrook {Aus}) annexed the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint and G1 Centenary Sprint Cup en route to being named champion sprinter for the second year in a row. He has been out of the top three just once in his 25 career appearances.

Among the other non-equine categories, Ricky Yiu won his first trainers’ premiership on 67 victories, while Zac Purton outdistanced Joao Moreira to retain his jockeys’ title. John Moore, who saddled his final horses as a licenced trainer in Hong Kong Wednesday, was recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

WATCH: Exultant puts them back-to-back in the Champions and Chater Cup

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6-Year-Old Exultant Named Hong Kong Horse Of The Year

Exultant's outstanding exploits during the 2019/20 season earned the multiple Group 1 victor the Hong Kong Horse of the Year award at a special presentation function held at Sha Tin Racecourse on Thursday, July 16.

The Tony Cruz-trained 6-year-old was also named Champion Middle-Distance Horse and Champion Stayer for the second consecutive year.

Exultant is the first horse since River Verdon in 1991/92 to win the Horse of the Year title in the same season as capturing both the G1 FWD Queen Elizabeth II Cup and the G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup. Only two other Hong Kong champions, Top Grade and Quicken Away, have achieved the same feat.

The five-time G1 winner showed uncommon class and resolution during the campaign, in which he finished in the frame in all of his seven starts. In addition to his two G1 wins, the Teofilo gelding also took the G2 Jockey Club Cup and the G3 Centenary Vase Handicap, and was placed in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase, the G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup and the G3 Sa Sa Ladies' Purse Handicap.

Golden Sixty was the deserving winner of the newly-introduced Four-Year-Old Champion award. The Francis Lui-trained galloper became only the second horse after Rapper Dragon to win all three legs of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series, including the BMW Hong Kong Derby.

The Medaglia d'Oro gelding went through the season unbeaten with seven wins, and also tasted his first Group success in the G3 Chinese Club Challenge Cup Handicap. Lui's stable star matched brilliance with versatility, with his wins ranging from 1200m to 2000m.

Golden Sixty also secured the bulk of the public vote to claim the Most Popular Horse title.

Two-time Hong Kong Horse of the Year Beauty Generation lost his outright crown but was named Champion Miler for a remarkable third season in a row. The Road To Rock seven-year-old remained a significant force at the highest level, and completed a hat-trick of wins in the G1 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup. John Moore's stable standout also won the G3 Celebration Cup for the third time in succession; and earned three G1 placings with his seconds in the Stewards' Cup and the FWD Champions Mile, and third in the LONGINES Hong Kong Mile.

Beat The Clock was named the season's Champion Sprinter for the second year. The John Size-trained six-year-old was a dual G1 victor this term, claiming the LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint and the Centenary Sprint Cup, a race he also won in the 2018/19 season. The Hinchinbrook gelding continued to be a model of consistency with two wins, one third and one fifth from just four starts this term.

Good Luck Friend was named the season's Champion Griffin after securing four wins from six starts. The Ricky Yiu-trained three-year-old achieved his career highlight to date in a Class 3 1200m at Sha Tin, defeating seasoned gallopers to achieve a rating of 85.

The Jimmy Ting-trained Amazing Star was named the season's Most Improved Horse. He started the campaign on a rating of 58 and rocketed 42 points to a mark of 100 after four wins in just six starts.

Ricky Yiu was honored with the Champion Trainer title. The battle for the championship was settled at the season finale and Yiu was most deserving of his first title, having led for most of the season and repelled all challengers with a final total of 67 wins.

Zac Purton was crowned Champion Jockey for a fourth time. The Australian rider had a fantastic season of achievements, including becoming the only rider in history to have won every Group 1 race on the Hong Kong calendar thanks to Exultant's score in the FWD QEII Cup.

Vincent Ho won the Tony Cruz Award as the season's leading homegrown rider and also won the public vote to earn the Most Popular Jockey of the Year accolade.

Retiring trainer John Moore was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his great contribution to Hong Kong racing over almost 50 years.

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