WILLIAM Haggas’ globetrotter Dubai Honour is seeking another haul of foreign prize money when he lines up in the Group 1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (9.10am) over a mile and a half at Sha Tin on Sunday.
The seven-year-old’s two most recent runs were in Australia, winning the Group 1 Kia Tancred Stakes over mile and a half at Rosehill in early April and finishing second to Via Sistina in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes over 10 furlongs two weeks later. Tom Marquand travels to take the mount again.
Voyage Bubble, who suffered a surprise defeat by outsider Red Lion in the Group 1 FWD Champions Mile in late April, is the one to overcome and the most likely winner. He won the Group 1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup in February over 10 furlongs and now steps up to a mile and a half.
Trainer John Size expects Ensued and Bundle Award will also perform strongly in Hong Kong’s final Group 1 race of the season.
Ensued finished fourth behind Giavellotto, Dubai Honour and Stellenbosch in the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase in December before finishing fourth behind Tastiera in the Group 1 FWD QEII Cup in April. He will be ridden by seven-time Hong Kong champion jockey Zac Purton this weekend.
Bundle Award will be ridden by Andrea Atzeni, he won the Group 3 Queen Mother Memorial Cup Handicap on May 4th. Last month’s BMW Hong Kong Derby victor Cap Ferrat will again be the mount of Craig Williams.
MONDAY is a US holiday and Santa Anita hosts the main racing with two Grade 1s and the Grade 2 Hollywood Gold Cup.
The top contest is the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes for fillies and mares over nine furlongs on turf. It contains three Irish-breds and two British bred in its nine-horse field.
Irish-bred Be Your Best had three consecutive victories for trainer Saffie Joseph from November through to January, capped by a neck success in the Grade 2 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Stakes at Gulfstream Park. The five-year-old daughter of Muhaarar disappointed on softer turf in Keeneland’s Grade 1 Jenny Wiley Stakes on her most recent outing.
The Irish-bred Lady Claypoole (Starspangledbanner) is also in the mix having strung together three straight wins over the Santa Anita turf for trainer Richard Baltas
Michael McCarthy and jockey Umberto Rispoli will team up again for another Grade 1, as Formidable Man faces eight rivals in the $300,000 Shoemaker Mile Stakes.
Formidable Man has won his last five starts in California, including wins in the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby and Grade 1 Hollywood Derby and then against older horses in the Grade 1 Frank E Kilroe Mile Stakes last month.