French star Calandagan, Japan’s Masquerade Ball and Museum Mile headline a strong contingent of 63 international raiders entered for next month’s FWD Champions Day meeting at Sha Tin.
Calandagan, last year’s Longines World’s Best Racehorse, and Group One winners Masquerade Ball and Museum Mile could be set for a blockbuster clash with Hong Kong’s 13-time Group One champion Romantic Warrior in the Group One QE II Cup (2,000m).
Calandagan capped a massive year with victory in last November’s Group One Japan Cup (2,400m) in a thrilling finish with Masquerade Ball, while Museum Mile has risen to stardom with five wins – including his past two at Group One level – from 10 starts.
The Danny Shum Chap-shing-trained Romantic Warrior, who won the QE II Cup in 2022, 2023 and 2024, and the world’s best sprinter Ka Ying Rising spearhead the local entries for Hong Kong’s second-biggest race day.
Crowned the top-rated galloper in this year’s first edition of the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings, Ka Ying Rising will chase a record-extending 20th consecutive victory in the Group One Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1,200m), provided he wins the Group Two Sprint Cup (1,200m) on April 6.
His stranglehold on the Chairman’s Sprint Prize has led to only 23 entries being received for the race, including four from Australia and eight from Japan.
There are 23 overseas entries for April 26’s other Group One feature, the Champions Mile, including Japan’s four-time Group One-winning miler Jantar Mantar, Gaia Force, Royal Ascot Group One victor Docklands and Australia’s Tom Kitten and Evaporate, who ran first and second respectively in the recent Group One All-Star Mile at Flemington.
Six-time Group One hero Voyage Bubble, reigning Champions Mile victor Red Lion, Galaxy Patch and My Wish headline the Hong Kong entrants for the race.
“We are thrilled with the outstanding quality of entries from around the world for FWD Champions Day at Sha Tin – including 23 individual Group One winners coming up against our champions Ka Ying Rising and Romantic Warrior,” Andrew Harding, the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s executive director of racing, said.
“Ka Ying Rising is a phenomenal world-class talent. He is the globe’s leading sprinter, and seemingly every time he steps out, he delivers incredible performances.
“If he manages to win the Sprint Cup on April 6, then he will chase even more history on FWD Champions Day by aiming to become the first Hong Kong-trained horse to win 20 consecutive races.
“Our global champion Romantic Warrior continues to excel on the world stage – he is now our only 13-time Group One winner, and he will seek a record-extending fourth win in the FWD QE II Cup, but he will do so potentially against high-class opposition – including Group One winners Masquerade Ball, Museum Mile and Royal Champion, while Calandagan also has the option to race.
“Overall, we are immensely excited ahead of another wonderful staging of our spring flagship meeting, and we look forward to an outstanding day of elite international racing.”
Eight horses selected to run in Sunday’s BMW Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) – Little Paradise, Invincible Ibis, Dazzling Fit, Emblazon, Seraph Gabriel, Stormy Grove, Top Dragon and Numbers – also hold entries for Champions Day.
