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| Staff Writer |
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Golden Sixty, Hong Kong's superstar racehorse, has effortlessly broken numerous records and continues to surpass expectations. This exceptional horse has already achieved unprecedented accomplishments that no other horse has reached previously.
The most successful horse in Hong Kong history, Golden Sixty, has a remarkable record with 25 wins out of 29 starts, ranging from. This includes a sweep of the 4YO Classic Series in 2020 and two victories over Romantic Warrior, who recently won the Gr.1 W.S. Cox Plate in Australia. Golden Sixty has the opportunity to make history again in the HK$32 million Gr.1 Longines Hong Kong Mile, despite a record number of days between runs - 224 - since his last outing on FWD Champions Day in April.
The current record for the longest break between runs for a Longines Hong Kong Mile winner is 189 days, held by Glorious Days in 2013, while Firebreak won after a 57-day break in 2004. Since the race was extended to a mile in 1999, no horse has won with more than 100 days between runs, except for Glorious Days in 2013 and Admire Mars, who won with 50 or more days between runs.
Golden Sixty's trainer, Francis Lui, trialed the horse over a mile on the turf at Sha Tin with jockey Vincent Ho, who has been with Golden Sixty throughout his illustrious career. Golden Sixty has won the Longines Hong Kong Mile twice, in 2020 and 2021, and is a strong contender for this year's race.
"It's exciting. It's a privilege to be on Golden Sixty. To have such a connection with an animal like him is very special. It's hard to explain – I'm proud," Ho said.
Golden Sixty will be competing in his fourth consecutive Longines Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin on 10th December. However, this time he will be fresh after finishing third in his previous race behind Romantic Warrior and Helene Feeling, with a time of 1m 37.15s.
"It looked good. They went slow at the corner and someone jumped a cone, we were at the back and then in the straight I just let him build up slowly and he came along nicely.
"I wish the pace was faster but it was good. He knows what I want – if I don't move he comes back and relaxes but he knows when I just ask him even a little bit for an effort, he gives it to me straight away – I was happy," Ho said.
Although Golden Sixty has a perfect record of five wins out of five when resuming, he has not yet faced international competition. He will be up against a fleet of race-ready overseas challengers, including five Japanese contenders. Among them, Namur is a standout, having won the Gr.1 Mile Championship at Kyoto on November 19th. Another contender to watch out for is Soul Rush, who finished second in that same race.
"It looks challenging, the overseas horses and Hong Kong's horses. There's a couple of good ones in there but it'll be fun. He is always good when he runs fresh. We needed this trial just to let him have a nice blow," Ho said.
Japan has a strong representation in the upcoming race, with contenders like Serifos, Danon The Kid, and Divina. Meanwhile, the reigning champion California Spangle is back to defend its title, and the rising star Beauty Eternal aims for its first top-level win.
If Golden Sixty emerges victorious, it will join the legendary Good Ba Ba as the only three-time winners of the race. Jockey Vincent Ho will also be riding Senor Toba in the HK$24 million Gr.1 Longines Hong Kong Vase and Straight Arron in the HK$36 million Gr.1 Longines Hong Kong Cup.
"Senor Toba ran well last start. Let's see, the Europeans and Japanese look very strong," Ho said.
The developing Straight Arron claimed the HK$5.35 million Gr.2 BOCHK Jockey Club Cup last start but is yet to face Romantic Warrior over Sunday week's trip.
"He's going well. Hopefully we'll be competitive – it's a strong field but he is fit and he is ready," Ho said.