Locals dominate at Sha Tin, Hemmings silks shine bright and El Fabiolo's cool at Cork - three things we learned this week

It has been another busy week in the world of racing. Here we pick out three things we learned . . .

Hong Kong stars unstoppable on home turf

A host of international raiders descended on Sha Tin in a bid to land lucrative prizes at the Longines Hong Kong International Races yet all but one proved no match for the region's home stars. 

Junko was the sole overseas runner to win on a star-studded card and his triumph in the Hong Kong Vase came in what was perhaps the weakest of the four Group 1s. 

The race began at a crawl and developed into a sprint, which played into the French four-year-old's hands as he swept from the rear of the field. The lack of a steady pace proved the undoing of several leading contenders, including Japanese favourite Lebensstil, who finished last of eight. 

The Vase lacked the presence of a local champion, but the other three races more than made up for it with Lucky Sweynesse asserting his authority in the Sprint, Golden Sixty reigning supreme in the Mile and Romantic Warrior claiming another Hong Kong Cup. 

They asserted dominance on their home track despite the best efforts of British and Irish runners to undermine their efforts. Highfield Princess, who skipped the Breeders' Cup in favour of this meeting, could only manage sixth in the Sprint, while even the mastery of Aidan O'Brien was not enough to overthrow the local heroes with Luxembourg failing by a short head to reel in Romantic Warrior in the meeting's feature race. 

The Ballydoyle trainer will no doubt be back for more in 12 months' time, but for now the Hong Kong champions reign supreme.
Catherine Macrae

Plenty of success for famous silks

The yellow, green and white silks of the late Trevor Hemmings remain a familiar sight, particularly in the winner’s enclosure, with Richmond Lake the latest to strike at Aintree on Saturday.

Hemmings, a billionaire businessman who owned Championship club Preston North End, died aged 86 in 2021, having been one of British jump racing’s biggest supporters and enjoyed Grand National success with Hedgehunter, Ballabriggs and Many Clouds.

His famous silks are this season seen under the ownership banner of Hemmings Racing, who are operating at an impressive 32 per cent strike-rate (9-28).

Richmond Lake on his way to winning at Aintree on Saturday for Hemmings RacingCredit: GROSSICK RACING

Richmond Lake gained a fourth win from six starts over fences at Aintree, while Famous Bridge is another smart chaser for connections and recently scored on Betfair Chase day at Haydock.

Favour And Fortune and Bowenspark are smart novice hurdlers, but arguably most exciting is Mister Meggit, who recorded the second-highest Racing Post Rating by a five-year-old in a bumper in Britain this season when winning impressively on his debut at Carlisle last month.

Add Chepstow bumper scorer Below The Radar into the mix – not forgetting top talent Hillcrest on the sidelines – and there is plenty of talent to do Hemmings proud.
Jack Haynes

El Fabiolo lays down a Champion Chase marker

On Saturday my colleague David Jennings wrote a column asking, ‘Is the two-mile chase division no longer cool?’

Well, if the two-mile chase division is going to be cool again then El Fabiolo will have played a big part in returning its street cred.

Not all of Willie Mullins’ stable stars have fired on their seasonal reappearances, with Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs and the prodigious Impaire Et Passe both beaten first time out.

El Fabiolo, however, made a serene return to the track on Sunday as he won the Hilly Way Chase at Cork with plenty in hand.

His success followed Jonbon’s victory in the Tingle Creek at Sandown on Saturday, and both performances suggest the Champion Chase could be one of the races of the season.

With the excellent Energumene out injured, El Fabiolo will be Mullins’ main hope for the two-mile feature at Cheltenham, and he is currently a justified ante-post favourite.

Jonbon can be considered one of the unluckiest horses in training given the only two defeats against his name have come against generational talents in El Fabiolo and Constitution Hill.

The Nicky Henderson-trained seven-year-old is a star in his own right and would be the Champion Chase winner-elect in other years.

However, El Fabiolo’s return suggests he remains the one to beat, and he can be crowned the champion two-mile chaser in March.

Regardless of the outcome, it will be pretty cool to watch.
Patrick Madden

Read more . . .

Jonbon clash could come before Cheltenham as Willie Mullins has Ascot option for El Fabiolo after successful return 

Which camp are you in for the Champion Chase - El Fabiolo or Jonbon? Our experts have their say 

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