'He means the world to me' - Hong Kong hero Golden Sixty delivers record win

On the biggest day in Hong Kong racing, there was an outpouring of support for one of their own as Golden Sixty proved imperious to claim the Longines Hong Kong Mile.

The local hero was forced to contend with traffic in his bid to land back-to-back victories in the race under Vincent Ho, but battled through the field to land an astonishing 16th win in a row for trainer Francis Lui and his 19th from 20 starts.

More Than This produced a late push to claim second ahead of Salios, with 1,000 Guineas winner Mother Earth finishing strongly in fourth.

“I feel very happy, he’s my champion and I have to say thank you to my team and Vincent and the owner – they support me,” Lui said.

"It's all about him," Ho said after the one-and-three-quarter length success. "The whole team did a really great job and I'm so thankful. Draw two was a little bit tricky and I never really like to be on the inside, but we all know he's brave enough to go through horses as well.

“It was much better today because the pace was on, he actually relaxed very well and as a six-year-old he’s more mature.

"He means the world to me. Without him I wouldn't be here, or have won the QEII on Loves Only You. He's brought me a lot of great opportunities and Group races."

In claiming his 19th career success, Golden Sixty landed a Hong Kong record and has suffered just one defeat in his three-year career, when finishing tenth over seven furlongs in July 2019.

The six-year-old has never raced outside Sha Tin, where his winning record includes four Group 1 titles and being crowned last year's Hong Kong Horse of the Year.

His career earnings are now only behind Beauty Generation in the history of racing in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Mile full result

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