Some great races and one horrific accident.
Starting with the good parts, Glory Vase-Vase-Vase! Glory Vase won the Vase for the second time, having one in 2019 and not defending last year, the first of two Deep Impact sired winners of the G1s pulled out a great performance to run down Pyledriver with a very honest Ebaiyra third. Mogul was disappointing. Pyledriver is a 4yo so could well return next year.
We'll leave the Sprint to the end.
Golden Sixty had no real problems in winning the Mile, his 16th successive win in Hong Kong and breaking various records in the process and defending his title in the process. More Than This was the surprise second and Salios ran a very good race to finish third. Little Mother Earth, who was originally booked to come to Australia but went to the US instead, was very brave in running fourth.
There is obviously a great rapport between Glorious Sixty and his jockey Vincent Ho with the horse trusting Ho totally and responding to the slightest request to weave through traffic or up the pace. It's great to see. Ho says he owes everything to the horse but the horse also owes a great deal to his jockey.
Loves Only You ended her brilliant career with a win in the Cup. She has won three G1s in her last three outings, and now heads to her new career. She appeared to be lame in the left hind leg at the end of the race and Kawada and the crew were watching her closely but although she had also received a laceration in the leg, it was reported later that she was fine. She was the second of Deep Imoact's progeny to win one of the G1s, which is not a bad average!
Her compatriot Hishi Iguazu gave her a run for the money but she was not to be denied. Russian Emperor looked at one stage as if he could be the winner but the Japanese horses were stronger in the finish. Dubai Honour was finishing strongly and took fourth although jockey Tom Marquand earned the displeasure of the stewards and got a fine and suspension. Tourbillon Diamond stormed through from the rear to finish fifth.
So the Sprint. It's now on public record that early in the straight Lyle Hewitson's mount Amazing Star went amiss breaking two front legs and dislodged Hewitson. Lucky Patch was close behind and came down dislodging Zac Purton who was having a great day up till then having ridden the winners of the first three races. Naboo Attack was also brought down with jockey Karis Teetan able to get out of the way and walk back. Then Pixie Knight came down and dislodged jockey Fukunaga. Purton, Hewitson and Fukunaga were taken to hospital for observation but all were conscious. Danon Smash was seriously hampered and virtually pulled up.
Amazing Star and Naboo Attack were not so lucky and had to be euthanised. David Hayes, the trainer of Naboo Attack, has written a very moving tribute to his gentle giant of whom a great future had been predicted. Pixie Knight was found to be lame in the left fore and had a substantial amount of blood in the trachea. That's the bad part.
In the better part of the story of the Sprint Sky Field gave Blake Shinn his first G1 in Hong Kong. This was a great result for Shinn who didn't have the easiest time breaking into Hong Kong but hard work paid off and he also had two third places on the day. Resistencia was perhaps the hard luck story of the finish as she had been hampered by the fall and had another bad bump before the end so her second was full of merit. Courier Wonder was again Courier Wander and fortunately this was corrected quickly by Moreira and they finish third.
It should have been a great day and there was a record turnover of HK$ 1,728 billion but unfortunately it will be remembered for the sad reasons more than the happy ones.
