O’BRIEN CHASES CUP JACKPOT
AIDAN O’BRIEN’S Magical heads the stellar cast in contention for the Longines Hong Kong I nternational meeting at Sha Tin.
Staged on December 13, the card i s worth more than € 9million i n prize money across four Group One contests, three of which offer the largest purse on turf over their respective distances.
Seven-time Group One winner Magical is engaged in the Hong Kong Cup, run over a mile and two furlongs, and was most recently seen finishing a length behind Dermot Weld’s Tarnawa in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland.
Her last victory was in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown in September, where she beat Ghaiyyath.
Magical is likely to be joined by stablemate Peaceful, who took the Irish 1,000 Guineas this season, with Jerome
Reynier’s Prix Dollar winner Skalleti also representing the European contingent.
The Japanese flag is flown by l ast year’s victor Win Bright, who is undefeated in two runs at the track, while the home side field 2019 Hong Kong Derby winner Furore.
The Hong Kong Mile is also contested by a f ormer winner, as Admire Mars returns to defend his crown for Japanese trainer Yasuo Tomomichi.
The colt faces stiff opposition from Golden Sixty, who has put together a remarkable 10-race winning streak and bids to claim his first Group One title.
Beauty Generation, who won in both 2017 and 2018, is also set to take part.
Ireland are represented by two runners from Ballydoyle, surprise Breeders’ Cup Mile hero Order Of Australia and Lope Y Fernandez, who finished third in the same race — with Ken Condon’s dual Minstrel Stakes and 2018 Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Romanised also entered.
Hot King Prawn carries the hopes of Hong Kong in the six-furlong sprint, in what will be a quick turnaround from his winning performance i n the Group Two Jockey Club Sprint on November 22.
He will face Classique Legend, a new recruit to the yard of leading Hong Kong trainer Caspar Fownes, and Singapore’s Inferno, a two-time Grade One winner.
Grand Prix de Paris winner and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe runner-up Mogul lines up for Ballydoyle in the Hong Kong Vase — alongside Royal Julius, who was the victor in the 2019 Bahrain International Trophy.
Five-time Group One winner Exultant bids to regain the title, having won in 2018 before missing out last year.