Golden Sixty turned over at 1-100 as 16-race unbeaten run comes to an end

Hong Kong phenomenon Golden Sixty had his 16-race unbeaten run surprisingly brought to an end at the hands of old rival Waikuku in the Group 1 Stewards’ Cup at Sha Tin on Sunday.

The six-year-old was sent off at 1-100 to post a second win in the mile contest and match the exploits of Silent Witness, who racked up 17 straight victories nearly 20 years ago.

Chasing an amazing 20th success of his career on just his 21st start, Golden Sixty tasted defeat for only the second time when going down by three-parts of a length, with Russian Emperor the same distance away in third.

This was a ninth career win for Waikaku, and his second in this contest, with Zac Purton riding a well-judged race.

Sat last off a slow pace set by Healthy Happy, Golden Sixty had plenty to do when the pace quickened off the home turn and his usual thrust under Vincent Ho did not quite get him there.

Golden Sixty had been on a remarkable run of success that kicked off in September 2019 and included two victories in the Hong Kong Mile, among five Group 1 wins, to cement legendary status.

Trainer Francis Lui said: “The horse is okay – he appears to have pulled up well. It was just the draw. The way the race was run, he needed to be closer but, from the inside, it wasn’t possible today.”

British jockey Harry Bentley partnered Kings Shield, who eventually brought up the rear in the seven-runner contest.

He said: “I definitely thought that Golden Sixty would win the race but the slow pace didn’t help him coming from so far back. He then didn’t get the clearest of runs on the bend.

"It’s difficult to tell what the public reaction to his defeat is as there are no spectators here [due to Covid-19 restrictions].”

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