Hong Kong is rubbing its eyes and emerging blinking from almost three years of Covid restrictions.
The return to normality is slow, with masks still mandatory, and the Leave Home Safe App that requires over 7m citizens to scan their blue QR Code before entry wherever they go turns into a stay home safe of seven days’ isolation should you test positive.
But progress is progress and crowds will be back in force for a LONGINES HKIR week which features the world’s most famous jockey challenge night and a string of intriguing storylines wrapped up in four G1 contests worth almost £11.5m.
Sixty tops bill again in chase for Mile treble
HK hero Golden Sixty is the poster boy of the week again and bids to emulate Good Ba Ba by winning the Mile for a third year running. Francis Lui’s gelding looked as good as ever on his reappearance and is bound to be the hottest favourite of the week under Vincent Ho.
HK’s dominant rider Zac Purton will be out to floor the champ on California Spangle and his old rival Joao Moreira is heading back to his former home on the first leg of what he hopes will be an international tour ahead of his intended retirement in 2023.
Medical permitting, Moreira will partner several members of a powerful Japanese team including Glory Vase, who bids to become the first horse to win the Vase three times, while the fiery Panthalassa is the highest rated international challenger on show and promises to scorch the Sha Tin turf for a long way when he goes up for the £3.5m Hong Kong Cup.
Stone seeking to come of Age in Aidan’s latest Vase assignment
The lack of meaningful British equine representation at the final global Festival of the year remains a source of bafflement but Aidan O’Brien continues to support the event year on year and his Breeders’ Cup Turf runner-up Stone Age looks the pick of a trio that also includes Broome and former BC Mile hero Order of Australia.
Ryan Moore will surely choose Stone Age over Broome in the Vase and the world’s most accomplished big race rider has another chance to add to his seven HKIR wins aboard Richard Gibson’s Wellington, who will have leading claims in the Sprint if back to the level that saw him dominate HK’s 1200m division in the second half of last season.
And Moore is far from the sole British rider in the HK spotlight. Hollie Doyle and Tom Marquand have flown in from Japan to take on previous winners Purton, Moore and Hugh Bowman in Wednesday’s International Jockeys’ Championship at Happy Valley, while Aussie star Jamie Kah’s first HK appearance means the two most influential female riders in the world will ride against each other for the first time.
Silvestre hot on the IJC trail again
So good to see my family after so long 🥰#HongKongReunion #familytime pic.twitter.com/aPUuS6z3IN
— Silvestre de Sousa (@SilvDSousa) December 5, 2022
Silvestre de Sousa is another former IJC winner and the three-time British champ returns to Happy Valley in fine form after returning from suspension to ride his 18th HK winner of the season on Sunday.
Purton’s charge towards a sixth jockeys’ title seems unstoppable but Moreira’s departure means that opportunity is knocking for several riders and SDS was in confident mood as he assessed his current situation after Monday trackwork.
“I think I might be second rather than third in the table but for picking up three bans and things are working out really well overall,” he said.
“The family have just arrived, which is great, and although you always need things to go your way at the Valley it looks like I’ve got a couple of decent chances. The adrenaline you get from a contest like this is unique so let’s hope for another big night."
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