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‘Emperor’, Shinn Shine in Champions and Chater Cup

The mental strain and inner turmoil that COVID-19 has caused in Hong Kong over the past 26 months dictate that the talented Blake Shinn will return to Australia at the end of the current racing season. The 34-year-old, winner at home of the 2008 G1 Melbourne Cup and 2016 G1 Golden Slipper, among other feature races, decided to give Hong Kong a go a couple of years back, and while it has not always been smooth sailing, Shinn has done the hard yards. He improved from 15 wins in his inaugural season to 24 in the 2020/2021 campaign, including a first pattern success aboard Sky Field (Aus) (Deep Field {Aus}) and a victory in the 4-year-old Classic series astride Excellent Proposal (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}).

The current season, the toughest of the three within the context of the curbs put on the local jockey colony, has seen Shinn reach even loftier heights, with a Sky Field win in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint before Russian Emperor (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) added to that tally in the Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) back in February. The end of his stint may be near, but he continues to ride at the peak of his powers and gave the latter a peach of a steer from the tail of the field to post a convincing tally in Sunday's G1 Standard Chartered Champions and Chater Cup at Sha Tin. The win capped off a natural three-timer for Shinn–each for a different trainer–and carries him to 36 winners for the year, good for seventh in the premiership.

Getting the blinkers off after overracing when a last-out fifth to BMW Hong Kong Derby hero Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) in the G1 FWD QE II Cup Apr. 24, Russian Emperor was allowed to drift back to last and traveled sweetly behind a soft pace. Content to trail into the final half-mile, Russian Emperor was slipped a bit of rein and followed the move of 2021 Champions and Chater runner-up Columbus County (NZ) (Redwood {GB}) around the turn. Pulled out widest as they hit the top of the straight, Russian Emperor hit top gear about 200 metres out, collared a very game Ka Ying Star (GB) (Cityscape {GB}) and edged clear. Senor Toba (Aus) (Toronado {Ire}) was a perfect-trip third.

“It's the longest 2400 [metres] of my life,” said winning trainer Douglas Whyte, who won the Champions and Chater three times in his illustrious riding career. “When you're a jockey, things unfold and you can see them unfolding in front of you, but when you're standing on the side and watching it, it gets quite daunting.

“He showed that he has got a really good turn of foot for a stayer. If he can continue to race in this sort of form and with these racing manners, he's an exciting horse for all these staying races next season,” Whyte added.

Given all that he–and to be fair, the entire institution of Hong Kong racing–has had to endure, the magnitude of Sunday's win was not lost on Shinn.

“It means a lot. It was a tough decision to go home [at the end of the season],” he explained. “The last year has been an extremely tough time, especially for myself. It was almost a breaking point. I made the decision because I was pretty much battling there mentally.

“Hong Kong has been a great place for me but for a few months there, it was really tough–not just for me, but a lot of people in Hong Kong. It's hard to walk away because I've worked so hard, but mental health is very important.

“Things have eased now but first and foremost, I have to make sure my well-being is where I need it to be and hopefully in time, I can get it back to where I need it to be and you can see me back in Hong Kong in the future,” Shinn said.

Pedigree Notes:

Russian Emperor, winner of the 2020 G3 Hampton Court S. at Royal Ascot, is one of his late sire's 93 worldwide Group 1/Grade I winners and one of three in Hong Kong, alongside G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase winners Highland Reel (Ire) and Mogul (Ire). All three are bred on the enormously successful cross of Galileo over Danehill and his stallion sons. Russian Emperor is the lone Galileo Group 1 winner from a daughter of Fastnet Rock.

Russian Emperor is one of two winners from four to the races for his outstanding dam, a two-time Australian champion and a Group 1 winner at 1400 (x2) (All-Aged S., Memsie S.), 1600 (Schweppes Thousand Guineas) and 2000 metres (Caulfield S.) and winner of 10 of her 11 career starts. Atlantic Jewel, a half-sister to fellow Thousand Guineas heroine Commanding Jewel (Aus) (Commands {Aus}), sadly passed away in August of 2020 after foaling a colt by US Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy). That produce was purchased by Dermot Farrington Bloodstock for A$240,000 (US$181,059) at last month's Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.

WATCH: Russian Emperor overpowers the field in the Champions and Chater Cup

Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong
STANDARD CHARTERED CHAMPIONS AND CHATER CUP-G1, HK$12,000,000 (£1,231,525/€1,452,138/A$2,182,458/US$1,529,244), Sha Tin, 5-22, 3yo/up, 2400mT, 2:26.67, gd.
1–RUSSIAN EMPEROR (IRE), 126, g, 5, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Atlantic Jewel (Ire) (Ch. 3yo Filly, Ch. Older Mare & MG1SW-Aus, $1,559,748), by Fastnet Rock (Aus)
2nd Dam: Regard (Aus), by Zabeel (NZ)
3rd Dam: Nanshan (Ire), by Nashwan
O-Mike Cheung Shun Ching; B-Coolmore, Lauri Macri & Partners; T-Douglas Whyte; J-Blake Shinn; HK$6,840,000. Lifetime Record: GSW-Eng, GSP-Ire, 20-4-4-3, HK$28,674,860. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Ka Ying Star (GB), 126, g, 7, Cityscape (GB)–Casual Glance (GB), by Sinndar (Ire). O-Leung Shek Kong; B-Kingsclere Stud; T-Tony Cruz A S; J-Luke Ferraris; HK$2,640,000.
3–Senor Toba (Aus), 126, g, 4, Toronado (Ire)–Bahamas (Aus), by Teofilo (Ire). (A$180,000 Ylg '19 INGMAR). O-Willie May Syndicate; B-D Peacock (SA); T-Caspar Fownes; J-Joao Moreira; HK$1,200,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, HF, 3 1/4. Odds: 21-10, 16-1, 37-10.
Also Ran: Tourbillon Diamond (Aus), Panfield (Chi), Zebrowski (NZ), Butterfield (Brz), Columbus County (NZ), Reliable Team (NZ), Nordic Sky (Brz). Click for the HKJC.com chart, PPs and sectional timing. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.

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First Captain Turns In ‘Special’ Performance at Pimlico

'TDN Rising Star' First Captain (Curlin) looked to have it all to do with a quarter-mile to go in Friday's GIII Pimlico Special S., but he called on his class in the final 50 yards to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Adding blinkers for the first time off a disappointing seventh in the GI Carter H. Apr. 9, the $1.5-million joint-topper at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale was off alertly and settled in fifth position passing under the wire for the first time as recent Excelsior S. runner-up Untreated (Nyquist) led them along through a leisurely opening couple of furlongs in :24.99. Traveling comfortably enough down the backstretch, First Captain raced worse than midfield and was four off the inside and in the clear as the field entered the final half-mile, the pace still very much working against the back markers on a track that seemed to be carrying speed. The chestnut came under a Luis Saez ride with about three furlongs to run and looked to be one-paced at the top of the stretch, as Untreated was still enjoying a soft time of things up front. But, pulled out to the middle of the track, First Captain took aim on favored Vindictive (Uncle Mo)–who'd wrested command from his stablemate Untreated deep inside the final furlong–and fought on bravely to score by a short neck.

An impressive debut winner over seven furlongs last April, First Captain showed determination and poise well beyond his relative inexperience to add a first-level Belmont allowance en route to 'Rising Star' honors the following month. The chestnut made the GIII Dwyer S. his third win from as many appearances July 5, but he stubbed his toe when trying two turns for the first time in the restricted Curlin S. July 30 and was shelved. First Captain made a victorious comeback to the races in a seven-furlong test at Gulfstream Feb. 27, but was always outpaced in the Carter, finishing well down the field.

“I debated on the blinkers last year after the Curlin, but we didn't get that far,” said Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey. “We trained him in them here [at Belmont Park] and we liked what we saw. I saw him gallop here the other morning before he shipped and my thought was, 'If he runs the way he gallops, he's going to be pretty tough.' Obviously, he did.

McGaughey continued, “He had trained well. The Carter was a puzzler. All his other races were good; he's won five out of seven now with a third in a listed stakes. We were anxious to get him around two turns.”

Pedigree Notes:

Bobby Flay, who was also represented Friday by Hilltop S. winner Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), gained access to First Captain's booming female family when acquiring second dam Lacadena privately after she was led out unsold on a bid of $1.4 million at the 2007 Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

The fact that Lacadena, stakes-placed at two for Jim and Alice Sapara, would prove to be so coveted, was no surprise, particularly in the aftermath of the 2007 racing season. The mare's dam, Butterfly Blue, was a half-sister to Better Than Honour (Deputy Minister), whose daughter Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy), defeated First Captain's sire in a stirring renewal of the GI Belmont S., giving an unusually demonstrative trainer Todd Pletcher a first Classic success.

For her second covering, and to no one's surprise, Flay sent Lacadena to A.P. Indy and the mare foaled a filly in March 2011. The celebrity chef elected to retain that produce when bidding stalled out on her at $725,000 at Keeneland September in 2012, and the decision proved shrewd, as America would go on to win five times from 22 starts, including the GIII Turnback the Alarm H., and was third in the GI Delaware H. before retiring to Flay's boutique broodmare band in 2016.

Flay elected to send America to Curlin for her first date in the breeding shed and he must have been pleased with the result, as she returned to the Hill 'n' Dale star for the 2018 breeding season. She foaled a filly in January 2019, eight months before First Captain took his spot in the Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga, where he and a Curlin colt out of Wapi (Chi) (Scat Daddy) shared top honors when hammering for $1.5 million.

The family was given yet another advertisement in the summer of 2020, when Paris Lights (Curlin), a daughter of America's half-sister Paris Bikini (Bernardini), took out the GI Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga. Flay sold Lacadena to Heider Family Stables in foal to Bernardini for $1.3 million at Keeneland November in 2015, while Paris Bikini was hammered down to Katsumi Yoshida for $1.95 million in foal to Uncle Mo at Fasig-Tipton November in 2020.

America visited Uncle Mo in the winter of 2019 and was offered by Flay at that year's Fasig-Tipton November Sale. She was ultimately retained on a bid of $3.1 million. The resulting produce, a colt, was a $550,000 RNA at Keeneland September last fall, while America is responsible for a yearling full-sister to First Captain and a colt by Uncle Mo foaled Mar. 19. She was bred to Curlin again this season.

Friday, Pimlico
PIMLICO SPECIAL S.-GIII, $300,000, Pimlico, 5-20, 3yo/up, 1 3/16m, 1:56.24, ft.
1–FIRST CAPTAIN, 120, c, 4, by Curlin
1st Dam: America (GSW & MGISP, $580,532), by A.P. Indy
2nd Dam: Lacadena, by Fasliyev
3rd Dam: Butterfly Blue (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
'TDN Rising Star' ($1,500,000 Ylg '19 FTSAUG). O-West Point Thoroughbreds, Siena Farm LLC, Bobby Flay & Woodford Racing LLC; B-B Flay Thoroughbreds (KY); T-Claude R McGaughey III; J-Luis Saez. $180,000. Lifetime Record: 7-5-0-1, $470,100. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*.
2–Vindictive, 120, c, 4, Uncle Mo–Exotic Bloom, by Montbrook. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($200,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stable, LLC & LNJ Foxwoods; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Todd A Pletcher. $60,000.
3–Untreated, 120, c, 4, Nyquist–Fully Living, by Unbridled's Song. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($550,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP; $300,000 3yo '21 KEEJAN). O-Team Valor International LLC; B-Ashview Farm & Old Oak Farm (KY); T-Todd A Pletcher. $30,000.
Margins: HD, 1 1/4, 7 1/4. Odds: 5.00, 1.00, 4.00.
Also Ran: Workin On a Dream, Mohaafeth, Treasure Trove, Mischief Afoot, Excellorator, Capocostello, Forewarned. Scratched: Shooger Ray Too.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Pletcher Sophs Work Towards Belmont Day Spots

A trio of 3-year-olds from the barn of Todd Pletcher took to the Belmont dirt training track Friday morning as they prepare for stakes engagements during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo), who defeated GI Preakness S. hopeful Early Voting (Gun Runner) in the GII Wood Memorial S. Apr. 9 ahead of a closing fifth in the GI Kentucky Derby May 7, breezed a half-mile in the company of his GI Central Bank Ashland S.-winning stable companion Nest (Curlin) in :50.02. Owned by Donegal Racing and Repole Stable, Mo Donegal is pointing for the GI Belmont S. June 11, while Nest is under consideration for a start against the boys in the 'Test of the Champion.' Nest's sire was famously defeated by the Pletcher-trained Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy) in the 2007 Belmont.

“It was a good maintenance breeze,” said Pletcher's New York-based assistant Byron Hughes. “They both were moving well and galloped out well. They were on even terms throughout and we were happy with the breeze.”

'TDN Rising Star' Wit (Practical Joke) went five furlongs in the company of fellow 'Rising Star' Malathaat (Curlin) in 1:01.58 Friday morning. Wit most recently returned from a six-month break to take out the GII Bay Shore S. by a nose Apr. 9 and will remain at the seven-furlong distance for the GI Woody Stephens S. on Belmont S. day. Malathaat also made a victorious return to action in Keeneland's GIII Baird Doubledogdare S. Apr. 22, besting Friday's GII DuPont Distaff romper Super Quick (Super Saver), and faces a mouthwatering matchup with champion Letruska (Super Saver) in the GI Ogden Phipps S. the same afternoon.

“Both are good breeze horses and made a good matchup,” Hughes said. “They went head-and-head throughout in 1:01 and change and had a good, solid gallop out.”

Highland Chief On to Manhattan…

Highland Chief (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), who caused a 19-1 upset in the May 14 GI Man o' War S., is likely to make his next appearance on the Belmont S. undercard in the GI Manhattan S.

“I think we'll point to the Manhattan if he's doing well,” trainer Graham Motion said. “The timing is right and I don't have a concern whatsoever about the mile and a quarter for him. I think he's pretty tactical and I think we're certainly going to keep him over here and not consider taking him over to England anytime soon. It had been mentioned to me before the race, but after we all got together, I think we'll keep him for an American campaign.

BC Champ Possible for Met…

Trainer Wayne Catalano has told the NYRA racing office that his GI Breeders' Cup Sprint hero Aloha West (Hard Spun) could make the trip to the Big Apple for the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. June 11. The Maryland-bred 5-year-old made his seasonal debut in the GI Churchill Downs S. May 7, finishing third behind Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) and Reinvestment Risk (Upstart).

“He went on the dead rail and got pushed a little early,” Catalano said. “It was a tough race. The only horse that went up the rail the last eighth of the mile was the Derby winner [Rich Strike]. From what I saw, everyone else was on the middle of the racetrack.”

The Met is also likely to attract undefeated 'TDN Rising Star' Flightline (Tapit) and GI Carter H. hero Speaker's Corner (Street Sense).

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Dinner Party Goes Through Cox, Maker

Between them, trainers Brad Cox and Mike Maker have won the two most recent runnings of the GII Dinner Party (ex Dixie S.) on the Preakness S. undercard and the accomplished conditioners look to have Saturday's renewal surrounded as well.

The reigning Eclipse Award winner Cox is represented by Juddmonte's Set Piece (GB) (Dansili {GB}), who was rerouted to this spot after scratching from a potential defense of his title in the May 5 Opening Verse S. at Churchill Downs. Winner of that track's GII Wise Dan S. last June, the homebred was runner-up in the GI Fourstardave H. at the Spa in August and most recently raced a bit freely when seventh first off a September layoff in the GI Maker's Mark Mile at Keeneland Apr. 15. Cox saddled Factor This (The Factor) to take the 2020 Dinner Party.

Maker sent out Somelikeithotbrown (Big Brown) to score last year and tightens the girth around Three Diamonds Farm's Atone (Into Mischief) here. Second in last year's GII Fort Lauderdale S. at Gulfstream Dec. 18, the bay gelding was beaten less than two lengths into fourth behind Colonel Liam (Liam's Map) in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Jan. 29 and fought on bravely to finish just a length off Shirl's Speight (Speightstown) when completing the super in the Maker's Mark.

Beacon Hill (Blame) looms an intriguing alternative to the top two choices off an Apr. 20 allowance effort at Keeneland in which he lagged back, came wide with what appeared to be a winning bid, but lugged in on multiple occasions and lost a bob. Joel Rosario sees fit to hop back aboard.

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