Best Ballydoyle battalion ever to descend on Hong Kong December 7, 2023 LEGENDARY, record-breaking trainer Aidan O’Brien is certain he has brought his strongest team ever to attack the four Group 1 races in Sunday’s LONGINES Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin. He is the only trainer this year to have runners in all four of the big races, with Warm Heart in the G1 LONGINES [...]
Atzeni aiming to continue fine Hong Kong start at HKIR December 7, 2023 ITALIAN and former British-based jockey Andrea Atzeni has hit the ground running in Hong Kong since moving over in the summer and he will bid to keep up the momentum on LONGINES Hong Kong International Races day at Sha Tin on Sunday. Despite winning the Group 1 Prix Morny on Vandeek in August, he made [...]
Elite McDonald a Player to take first IJC crown December 5, 2023 RACEGOERS and bettors are in for a feast of excitement in Hong Kong today when Happy Valley hosts its flagship event of the year, the LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship. With many of the world’s best jockeys in action for the £750,000 four-race championship, you can guarantee the inner-city track will be packed to the rafters [...]
Percussion to find right rhythm over big Becher fences December 5, 2023 FOR THE second time this season we have the chance to see horses race over Aintree’s Grand National fences with the famous Becher Chase (2:05pm), one of the feature races on a busy Saturday of racing. PERCUSSION has proved that he has a real affinity for this jumping test, running three times over these fences [...]
Keep an eye on Cyclop and Fortescue in London National December 5, 2023 IF THE weather forecasters are to be believed then the ground will be pretty bad come the time of the London National (3.35pm) on Saturday at Sandown. As with all of my ante-post columns, it’s pretty tricky to know for definite who is going to turn up and who isn’t, so with that in mind, [...]
Strong Feeling Helene is a winner waiting to happen December 5, 2023 IT’S DIFFICULT to overlook the chances of the Danny Shum-trained HELENE FEELING, who rates the best bet on the programme, when lining-up in the Japan Handicap (2.55pm) over nine furlongs. A pedestrian early pace counted against the former Michael Bell-trained three-year-old when he caught the eye staying on strongly in the closing stages to place [...]
Purton and Youthful can strike up a winning Deal December 1, 2023 SHA TIN in Hong Kong hosts a 10-race programme on Sunday, featuring half-a-dozen races on the all-weather surface and four on turf. Taking centre stage is the £285,000 Class Two Peninsula Golden Jubilee Challenge Cup (7.35am), a handicap over six furlongs on dirt. This contest features a number of top-class speedsters racing on dirt for [...]
Ellis Wong and Caspar Fownes the Perfect Team at Sha Tin December 1, 2023 FROM looking at the jockeys’ roster in Hong Kong this season you might find yourself wondering why young 23-year-old Ellis Wong doesn’t get more rides in the territory? The former graduate from the HKJC trainee programme, was sent over to Australia in 2021 to sharpen his skills and returned back to his homeland this year [...]
EP: 241 Newbury, Newcastle & Hong Kong December 1, 2023 The Gold Cup at Newbury is the highlight of another busy Saturday afternoon of jumps action, with the ‘Fighting Fifth’ Hurdle at Newcastle also on this weekend’s menu, where Constitution Hill is due to make his seasonal reappearance. City AM Racing editor Bill Esdaile previews the best of Saturday’s jumps racing action, with Wally Pyrah [...]
Nicholls’ Unknown taken to Complete Newbury mission November 28, 2023 THERE are plenty of great races outside of the Cheltenham Festival and Saturday’s Coral Gold Cup (2.50pm) at Newbury is certainly one of them. Before I dive into my preview, I should point out that as with all of these ante-post pieces, it’s always difficult to know exactly who’s running, so keep an eye out [...]