Japan four in Hong Kong to take on International Races
This year, four 4-year-old Japan-based horses have traveled to Hong Kong to take on the International Races at Sha Tin Racecourse on Dec. 11. Three of the participants – Apapane, Pas de Trois and Curren Chan -- arrived in Hong Kong together on Thursday, Dec. 1. Trailblazer arrived later, in the early hours of Sunday, Dec. 4.
The Hong Kong International Races, a race meeting that has gained a reputation as the Turf World Championships, is established as one of the most important international racing fixtures. The 25th edition of the premier Hong Kong sporting event is comprised of four top-level events on turf – the Hong Kong Cup, Mile, Sprint and Vase -- and is worth a combined HK$68 million (approx. US$8.7 million).
Apapane will take on the Hong Kong Mile, with Pas de Trois and Curren Chan set for the Hong Kong Sprint over 1,200 meters. Trailblazer is to run in the 2,400-meter Hong Kong Vase.
Since 2001 and Japan's near sweep of all four of the International Races (Stay Gold in the Vase, Eishin Preston in the Mile, Agnes Digital in the Cup), the last several years have been winless for Japan-based runners in Hong Kong. Hat Trick was the most recent victor from Japan, in 2005. Last year, A Shin Forward finished fourth in the Mile and Jaguar Mail came in fourth in the Vase.
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Apapane |
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Trailblazer
Trailblazer: The son of Zenno Rob Roy is trained by Yasutoshi Ikee, one of the hottest trainers in Japan at the moment with a Triple Crown win this year by Orfevre, a win of the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) by Tosen Jordan and Trailblazer's victory in the G2 Copa Republica Argentina. Trailblazer has won five of his 17 starts and ran fourth in the Japan Cup last time out. The colt has had a variety of riders and his wins have come all with different jockeys. Katsumi Ando rode him to his win of the Copa Republica Argentina, Yutaka Take had the ride in the Japan Cup.
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Pas de Trois
Pas de Trois: The Shadai-bred, Teruya Yoshida-owned Pas de Trois is by Swept Overboard, out of the Fuji Kiseki mare Grand Pas de Deux. A consistent runner finishing out of the money only four times in his 16 career starts, Pas de Trois has accumulated six wins, two seconds and four thirds. Though he has yet to win a graded race, he has come close, his best being his last time out with a second in the Sprinters Stakes (G1), run to the right like the Hong Kong Sprint. Veteran jockey Katsumi Ando has ridden the colt for five of his wins and was paired with him in the Sprinters Stakes.
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Curren Chan
Curren Chan: All horses owned by Takashi Suzuki, a 49-year-old ophthalmologist, include "Curren" in their name. Curren is the name of Suzuki's daughter and the name with the diminutive term of endearment "chan" added was reserved for Suzuki's favorite filly. Curren Chan, a daughter of Kurofune out of the Tony Bin mare Spring Ticket, has proven herself well worthy of her special name, having won four graded races, including the G3 Hanshin Himba Stakes and the G1 Sprinters Stakes. She is currently on a five-way winning streak, capped by the Sprinters Stakes last time out. She has won all but one of her races this year, her first in January, a race that saw Curren Chan back on the track after a layoff of over six months. The Shadai-bred Curren Chan has, in fact, only finished out of the money once in her entire career. She has notched eight wins, two seconds and a third in her 12 races thus far. All but two of her starts were over 1,200 meters.
The Hong Kong Mile was originally run as the Hong Kong Invitation Bowl over 1400 meters in 1991 to mark the staging of the 22nd Asian Racing Conference in Hong Kong. It was renamed Hong Kong International Bowl the following year and received its current name in 1999. In 2000, the race was upgraded to G1 status. Prize money for the Mile was increased to HK$20 million this year, a purse that makes it the equal of the Hong Kong Cup as the country’s richest horse race.
The Hong Kong Vase, worth HK$14 million, was originally run as the Hong Kong International Vase, which was introduced in December 1994 as a third International Race to encourage Hong Kong horse owners to import top-class stayers. In 2000, the race was renamed the Hong Kong Vase and upgraded to an international Group 1 event.
The Hong Kong Sprint, also worth HK$14 million, was added to the Hong Kong International Races in 1999 and received top-level status in 2002. Originally run over 1000 meters, it was extended a furlong in 2006, the same year it was designated the final leg of the Global Sprint Challenge.
Japan has aced six of the Hong Kong International Races and landed three seconds and four thirds. Three of Japan’s wins have come in the Hong Kong Cup (Fujiyama Kenzan in 1995, Midnight Bet in 1998 and Agnes Digital in 2001), two in the Mile (Eishin Preston in 2001 and Hat Trick in 2005) and one in the Vase (Stay Gold in 2001). A Japanese runner has yet to capture the Hong Kong Sprint, won by South Africa’s JJ The Jet Plane last year and Hong Kong runners for the previous eight years straight. Curren Chan is considered by many to be Japan’s best chance yet. The field this year, however, as is usually the case, is competitive in the extreme.
* Please visit the following websites for more information.
Hong Kong Jockey Club
Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races
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