Golden Sixty seeks to atone for shock defeat
The eyes of the racing world will again be on Golden Sixty (Medaglia D’Oro) and Vincent Ho in Sunday’s Hong Kong Gold Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) at Sha Tin. The star duo will attempt to make it back-to-back wins in the feature, and atone for his shock defeat by Waikuku (Harbour Watch) in last month’s Stewards’ Cup (Gr 1, 1600m).
Trainer Francis Lui has opted for the 2000-metre event of the Gold Cup over the 1400 metres of the raceday’s other feature, The Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (Gr 1, 1400m), and has declared that he could not be happier with Hong Kong’s pin up galloper coming into the race.
“I had to make a decision. I think the 2000-metre field is a bit weaker and I also think a mile back to 1400 metres is a bit sharp for him,” Lui said.
Golden Sixty remains unbeaten in his two starts over the 2000-metre trip, with narrow victories over Playa Del Puente (Elzaam) in his Hong Kong Derby (Listed, 2000m) win and Furore (Pierro) in the Gold Cup last year.
Jockey Vincent Ho also stated that he could not be happier with the superstar galloper coming into the race after his trial on February 8. Stepping out cleanly under Ho, Hong Kong’s champion let rip down the centre of the track in fine style – crossing the line first in 58.80 seconds over 1000 metres on the turf course.
“He went very well, he feels fresh – 1000 metres is not enough for him but he felt good and I’m happy with that, it was a nice piece of work,” Ho said.
Lui backed Ho’s comment with a simple: “I was happy with the trial – that was what I wanted to see, everything is fine.”
Golden Sixty has won 19 of his 21 starts and over HK$9.8 million in prize-money; his only two defeats came at his fourth race start – when he finished tenth, beaten two lengths by Star Performance (Per Incanto) – and in his shock loss to Waikuku (Harbour Watch), when plans went awry in the Stewards’ Cup.
If Golden Sixty’s latest defeat taught us one thing, however, it showed us that with the right circumstances falling into line and with clever tactical riding by his opposition jockeys, he is vulnerable; he is beatable.
As current reigning champion trainer Caspar Fownes put it: “Golden Sixty we all know is simply a superstar, and he is the one we’ve all got to get around; but surprisingly he was beaten last start; and you know the old saying, anything is possible in racing; that’s what gets us up out of bed early every morning.”
Fownes, who is vying for his first win in the Gold Cup, has three runners in Sunday’s Group 1 in Columbus County (Redwood), last year’s Derby winner Sky Darci (Darci Brahma) and a rising star in Zebrowski (Savabeel). The four-time champion trainer has much riding on the chances of Zebrowski in this year’s Derby, but admits with all three of his runners that it’s going to be no easy task.
“With Zebrowski he is going from a handicap into a set weights race, so at the handicaps it’s a tough assignment, we know that. But he has continued to improve and step up to the plate with every run, so for me he hasn’t reached his true rating mark, as yet,” Fownes said.
“He is a real fighter that gives his all; he was headed last start and came back strongly to win. Since the run I could not be happier with him.”
Zebrowski is from the Polish Precedent (Danzig) mare Polish Princess, who aside from dual Group 3 winner Zebrowski has thrown three stakes winners, namely Euro Angel (Rip Van Winkle), a winner of the MRC Ladies Day Vase (Gr 3, 1600m), Leebaz (Zabeel) a multiple Group 2 and 3 winner in Australia, and Polish Knight (Encosta De Lago), a winner of the ATC Tulloch Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m).
Zebrowski’s sire, the Waikato Stud-based stallion Savabeel (Zabeel), has an outstanding record in Hong Kong with a 72 per cent winners-to-runners ratio, but has yet to strike Group 1 glory in the city.
Of Fownes’ two other runners in Sunday’s Group 1 feature, Sky Darci returns to his Derby-winning distance for the first time since taking out the Classic last May.
“I fully expected him to come back a good miler for this season but it hasn’t turned out that way,” Fownes said.
“That said, his runs have been alright with not a lot of luck at times. He had a nice trial over 1600 (metres) last Monday and came from last to win it. He has the extra two furlongs this week and I could not have him in any better shape.”
Karis Teetan, who was on top in the trial, takes the ride in Sunday’s race, with regular partner Joao Moreira on the sidelines with a six-day suspension.
Columbus County is the third line for the Fownes stable, and while he has not won since October 2020, his runs have still had plenty of merit.
“His best I feel is at 2400 metres. He was only six lengths away in the Hong Kong Vase (Gr 1, 2400m) and now he comes back to a set weights race and 2000 metres. He’s a good honest horse that has been held up in a couple of his runs, and like my other two horses, I could not be happier with him. I’m hoping to get Daniel Moor on him, but it’s not confirmed as yet.”
Outside of Golden Sixty, Fownes see’s the Douglas Whyte-trained Russian Emperor (Galileo) as the next best in the race.
“He looks like he is coming back nicely and I think he is the horse moving forward for these staying races in the future; so, we’ve got to respect him,” he said.
Russian Emperor is one of two former European runners to saddle up for the race, the other being Savvy Nine (Anodin), also prepared by Whyte.
The race has historically been dominated by the European gallopers who have won the race 15 times since Indigenous (Marju) won the 1998 running of the Cup for Ivan Allan and Basil Marcus.
As a jockey, Douglas Whyte won the race on Indigenous in 1999 and again on Ambitious Dragon (Pins) for Tony Millard in 2012.
Whyte is shooting for his second Group 1 victory as a trainer on Sunday, after Stronger (Not A Single Doubt) delivered the champion jockey his first major victory in his second career, with his win in the Centenary Sprint Cup (Gr 1, 1200m) on January 23.
Russian Emperor stands as Whyte’s best chance in the race and has shown in his past three runs under Blake Shinn that he is well and truly back in the game.
After his brave second place to Sky Darci in the Derby, coming out of the race lame in the right fore, the son of Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) and Atlantic Jewel (Fastnet Rock) turned in a mighty run to finish third behind the Japanese raiders Loves Only You (Deep Impact) and Hishi Iguazu (Heart’s Cry) in the Longines Hong Kong Cup (Gr 1, 2000m), having looked the winner when he dashed away with a clear lead at the 200-metre mark, only to be caught late.
His latest run when another third behind Waikuku and Golden Sixty, just one and a half lengths away, was again full of merit and since then he has been topped off by an easy trial under Shinn on February 8, and looks like a horse hitting his straps right on time. Whyte echoed these sentiments.
“Russian Emperor is in great form. He always comes really good around this time of the year, his form suggests that,” Whyte said.
“I will give him a turf gallop tomorrow (Tuesday 15) that will be his final piece of work after his barrier trial last week.” Whyte said.
Savvy Nine is a winner of the January Cup (Gr 3, 1800m) at Happy Valley last year, and comes out of the Centenary Vase (Gr 3, 1800m), won by Zebrowski at Sha Tin on January 30, beaten only half a length in third. That run came off the heels of a nice third behind Zebrowski in the January Cup (Gr 3, 1800m).