Ahead of his bid to capture a record third successive Group 1 Champions Mile (1600m) at Sha Tin on Sunday week, Golden Sixty left both trainer Francis Lui and jockey Vincent Ho satisfied following his effort in a barrier trial on Tuesday morning.
Successful in the 2021 and 2022 editions of the HK$20 million race under Ho, Hong Kong's champion coasted around the 1200m Sha Tin dirt course in 1:10.42 at the tail of the field in sixth position, while Voyage Bubble edged out Drombeg Banner to lead the eight-runner group home in 1:09.93.
“Same as usual, we're happy and even Vincent after he came back and passed me, I asked him and he said he was also happy with the trial,” Lui said.
No horse has won the Champions Mile three times, while Ho is the only jockey with three wins in the race along with Brett Prebble after also partnering Southern Legend when he sensationally denied Beauty Generation's hat-trick bid in 2020.
“I hope so (to winning the FWD Champions Mile three times), at the moment I am just trying to pick the race for him,” Lui said. “He's seven years old, so we just pick the right races for him – he's not a young man.”
Lui originally planned to trial Golden Sixty on 4 April, however, constant rain and a sloppy dirt course prompted the handler to place his star galloper on turf that morning.
“We were going to trial (earlier) but the weather and the track was terrible, so we cancelled it,” Lui said.
Golden Sixty is expected to face eight opponents this year, led by his leading antagonist California Spangle – winner of the 2022 Group 1 Hong Kong Mile (1600m) – as well as Waikuku, Voyage Bubble, Beauty Joy, Glorious Dragon and Healthy Happy.
The Southern Hemisphere will have two participants in the form of last-start Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) second My Oberon trekking up for Annabel Neasham alongside New Zealand's Aegon – a Group 1 winner as a three-year-old in 2020.
Both horses arrived safely in Hong Kong overnight from Australia, as did Dubai Honour in the early hours of this morning. Joao Moreira rides My Oberon, Aegon pairs with James McDonald and Dubai Honour gets Tom Marquand at the HK$65 million showcase.
Hong Kong racing heads to Happy Valley this Wednesday where Ho and Lui will combine with the smart Brave Star (124lb) in the first section of Class 3 Ho Man Tin Handicap (1200m).
“He's a young and up and coming horse, he's good at Happy Valley and he also has a good draw tomorrow night – I hope he can win the race,” Lui said.
The Myboycharlie gelding faces eight others from barrier four in a competitive finale, including Allgreektome (122lb), Beauty Tycoon (135lb), Sakewin (134lb), Lucky Eight (131lb) and Nordic Dragon (126lb).
“It's hard to say (whether he can make it to Class 2), he needs to improve,” Lui said.
David Hayes trains Allgreektome and chases a second win with the sprinter this term.
“He seems to really have a liking for the Valley. He's got great gate speed and he's drawn a good gate this week. So, last time he drew 10 and he did a bit of work and he was beaten by a horse who drew well,” Hayes said. “I think he'll be pretty competitive.”