The Longines Hong Kong International Races are four year-end Grade 1 contests billed as the “Turf World Championships.”

They are the last of the year’s significant worldwide race meets and each year’s “can’t miss” glamorous event in a place that takes both racing and glamour seriously.

Last year’s pro-democracy demonstrators filled the Hong Kong streets, giving rise to security concerns for the overflowing crowd on race day at nearby Sha Tin Racecourse.

This year’s COVID-19 global pandemic emptied those same Hong Kong streets under newly enacted territory-wide medical restrictions, giving rise to safety concerns that reduced the annual overflowing race day crowd at Sha Tin to near-zero.

But in this threatening year as well as last year’s tumultuous one, the venerable Hong Kong Jockey Club successfully managed to keep the focus on the horses and jockeys that make this race day one of the world’s most eagerly anticipated of the year among fans of international racing.

Hong Kong’s picture-postcard Victoria Harbor. CREDIT Richard R. Gross

Calling this year’s event staging the most difficult in the history of the Jockey Club, chief executive officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges praised the territory’s “unique spirit and resilience.”

“It is important to have these global events,” said Engelbrecht-Bresges. “There were some anxious moments and discussions about ‘How can we do this?’ but in the end, we focused on the result and the results speak for themselves.”

Longines Hong Kong Vase

With two winners in the four contests, the results spoke loudly—proclaiming Japan an increasingly powerful force in international racing. Ireland and the home team produced the two other G1 winners on the day.

Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle Stables, fresh off multiple victories in last month’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland, produced the first of the four G1 winners in something of a surprise.

Mogul, a three-year old Galileo colt, could only manage fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Nov. 7,  but paired with regular rider Ryan Moore to snatch the $HK 20 million, 2400-meter Hong Kong Vase win from reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year Exultant.

Exultant took to lead from the gate and seemed well in control going into the final 400 meters. Moore tracked the leader from fourth position throughout and quickly dashed past Exultant. Mogul won by 3 1/2 lengths pulling away while his less-exultant competitor kept a head in front of Columbus County to retain second.

“I was in front sooner than would have been ideal today,” said Moore of his winner. “When he gets in front, he lacks a bit of concentration. He’ll be a really nice four-year-old.”

Owner Coolmore confirmed plans to race Mogul at four.

Longines Hong Kong Sprint

The HK$ 22 million, 1200-meter Hong Kong Sprint was supposed to be Australian invader Classique Legend’s to lose in his first Hong Kong start and lose he did, finishing an inexplicable eleventh.

The race became a cavalry charge among several longshot horses exchanging leads throughout. Jockey Moore again prevailed aboard Japan’s first of two winners, Danon Smash.

Moore said he “got lucky” from a dreaded far-outside 14 gate.

“We managed to slip into a lovely spot,” He explained. “When the pace steadied around the bend, I was able to just move out and keep moving forward and he got there in plenty of time.”

Mogul is a son of Lord Kanaloa, winner of this race in both 2012 and 2013.

Longines Hong Kong Mile

Hong Kong’s own Golden Sixty waited until five to make his hometown Group 1 debut in the HK$23 million 1600-meter Hong Kong Mile. The current Hong Kong best runner with 10 consecutive victories, connections were still anxious about facing off against 2019 winner, Japan’s Admire Mars, two-time Hong Kong Horse of the Year, Beauty Generation, and this year’s upset Breeders’ Cup Mile victor, Order of Australia.

Local hero and graduate of the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Apprentice Jockey School, Vincent Ho, settled off the pace with a clear path, then accelerated after the turn to take command in the final 200 meters. The final two-length winning margin was even easier than it sounds. Southern Legend took second with Admire Mars rounding out the top three.

“I can sleep tonight!” said winning trainer Francis Lui. “I’m very happy.  As a jockey, as a trainer, as an owner, you’re dreaming of this. I was worried about the horses from Japan and Ireland but after this race, he has shown me that he’s a true champion.”

…and, barring regression in the second half of the Hong Kong season, the very likely Hong Kong Horse of the Year.

Following his fifth-place finish, owners of Beauty Generation announced the immediate retirement from racing for the eight-year-old son of Australia’s Road to Rock. The New Zealand-bred leaves the racetrack with an iron-horse 39: 20-5-8 record and earnings of HK$104,928,745 and AUS$334,700.

Given all he’s done to advance Hong Kong racing, we think he deserves his picture in “the paper.”

Longines Hong Kong Cup

The HK$28 million, 2000-meter Hong Kong Cup is the year’s signature race. It was widely anticipated Aidan O’Brien’s and Coolmore’s Magical, the marquee name in this year’s Hong Kong meet, would tote it back to the Emerald Isle. But a daughter from the Land of the Rising Sun had other plans.

This was the only race affected by COVID-19—we’ll get to that in a moment.

Normcore finished only fourth in last year’s Hong Kong Mile. The five-year Japanese mare had only one other win this year. Now she has two.

Magical rode the rail in fifth place throughout the race. While it was the shortest trip for the favorite and rider Ryan Moore, the pair were boxed in absent a clear path to the outside. When a path opened, it was too late. The race became a contest between the eventual winner and fellow Japanese runner Win Bright.

“She had to fight for it,” jockey Zac Purton said of Normcore. “Win Bright gave a really sharp kick and his love for Sha Tin was starting to show through.” 

Win Bright held second, giving Japan a 1-2 finish and two wins in the four G1s on the day. Magical could do no better than third.

It was widely expected this would be five-year-old Magical’s last race following seven Group 1 wins on her resume. But it’s rumored trainer O’Brien is lobbying Coolmore to bring back the Galileo daughter for one more year.

The COVID-19 connection

Oh, and about the Hong Kong Cup’s COVID connection.

Readers of our last month’s Breeders’ Cup coverage will recall the dizzying jockey switch and shocking race results that occurred when jockey Christophe Soumillon lost his rides due to  positive COVID-19 test result at Keeneland, #4 in our “Five Takeaways from the 2020 Breeders’ Cup”:

Oops!…he did it again.

Soumillon arrived in Hong Kong Nov. 16 to begin the 14-day quarantine currently mandatory in Hong Kong for foreign arrivals from most countries because of the virus. He also tested negative for COVID-19.  

Still, as a precaution, the Belgian jockey was stood down from competing by Jockey Club Stewards on advice from the Club’s Chief Medical Officer who did not grant the required unconditional release from quarantine. COVID restrictions were further tightened early last week due to a surge in cases in Hong Kong. Soumillon’s positive test last month may have been a factor.

Soumillon did not appeal the decision, saying its acceptance was “in the best interests of the sport.”

As a result, Soumillon’s scheduled nine rides Sunday were reallocated to seven other jockeys, one of whom was Purton on Normcore. Purton had originally been given the ride, but connections changed their mind when they learned Soumillon would be coming.

The Racing Gods may have had a hand in giving the ride back to Purton. His win on Normcore makes him the all-time leader in wins in the Longines Hong Kong International Races with nine. Earlier in the week, Purton became only the second jockey to amass 1,200 Hong Kong wins with a victory at Happy Valley.

Hong Kong Jockey Club CEO Engelbrecht-Bresges concluded the successful event with a round of plaudits, noting connections that made the long trip to Hong Kong from abroad. 

“I want to give special credit to our overseas friends because it’s about trust to send your people, to send your horses on such a journey,” he said.

“The system we created was extremely robust. It all passed all the tough questions of health officials,” Engelbrecht-Bresges continued.  “We have clear guiding principles and with daily assessment, practically from the start of the year, we have managed this crisis and created a racing bubble.  Everybody bought into this and I want to give credit to the whole team for pulling it off.”

He concluded, “We hope this gives an example of how other sports can do this.”

Feature image: Hong Kong’s Sha Tin Racecourse is among the world’s most picturesque racing settings CREDIT Richard R. Gross