Dubai World Cup Day (Saturday, 28 March - 1st race 9:15pm)
Seven races from the Dubai World Cup meeting to be held at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai will be simulcast for betting from the late evening of Saturday, 28 March.
The Dubai World Cup fixture is the richest race meeting in the world and the climax of the three-month-long Dubai World Cup Carnival in the Emirates. A host of top names from around the globe look set to battle it out for the lucrative US$29million worth of purses on offer.
Hong Kong enjoyed an unforgettable evening last year when taking two of the night’s feature races. This year a seven-strong team has been assembled for the meeting. Leading the charge for the Al Quoz Sprint (1000m) down the Meydan turf straight will be defending champion AMBER SKY who will have the services of Ryan Moore, the winner of the first Longines World’s Best Jockey Award. Hong Kong’s strong hand for the sprint prize is further solidified by PENIAPHOBIA and BUNDLE OF JOY, the runaway one-two in the HKG1 Kent & Curwen Centenary Sprint Cup (1000m) back in January.
Meanwhile the globe-trotting LUCKY NINE and RICH TAPESTRY will each be looking to improve on their previous achievement in the Dubai Golden Shaheen, having been placed in previous editions. The pair will be joined by SUPER JOCKEY who was supplemented into this Group one event following an impressive victory in a Class one handicap on the all-weather track at Sha Tin on 1 March.
Arguably the most important race of the night as far as Hong Kong racing is concerned, is the US$6m Dubai Sheema Classic when all eyes will be on DESIGNS ON ROME, the reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year, who is taking on an ambitious mission in attempting to emulate Vengeance Of Rain’s 2007 win for Hong Kong in the Sheema Classic. DESIGNS ON ROME will attempt to become only the second Hong Kong horse ever to win an overseas Group 1 at a trip beyond 2000m, and to achieve that he will have to face a host of established big names such as Main Sequence, Flintshire and Harp Star.
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Race
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Hong Kong runners
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Dubai Gold Cup (G2 - 3200M - Turf - US$1M)
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UAE Derby (G2 - 1900M - 3yo - Dirt - US$2M)
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Al Quoz Sprint (G1 - 1000M – Turf - US$1M)
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Amber Sky (Ricky Yiu) / Bundle Of Joy (David Hall) / Peniaphobia (Tony Cruz)
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Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1 - 1200M - Dirt - US$2M)
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Lucky Nine (Caspar Fownes) / Rich Tapestry (Michael Chang) / Super Jockey (Tony Millard)
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Dubai Turf (G1 - 1800M – Turf - US$6M)
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Dubai Sheema Classic (G1 - 2410M – Turf - US$6M)
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Designs On Rome (John Moore)
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Dubai World Cup (G1 - 2000M – Dirt - US$10M)
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Final declarations with barrier draws for the Dubai races will be available on Thursday, 26 March, except the UAE Derby and Dubai Gold Cup which will be available on Tuesday, 24 March.
Takamatsunomiya Kinen (Sun 29 March 2:40pm)
The Hong Kong Jockey Club will simulcast for betting the Takamatsunomiya Kinen from Chukyo Racecourse, Japan at 2:40 p.m. during the Sha Tin race meeting on Sunday, 29 March.
The Takamatsunomiya Kinen (G1 1200m) is open to four-year-olds and upwards and is one of only two Group 1 turf sprints in Japan. The race is also staged as the third leg of the prestigious Global Sprint Challenge this year with total prize-money of approximately HK$13 million on offer.
LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (G1 1200m) winner AEROVELOCITY (Paul O’Sullivan) will become Hong Kong’s first ever runner in the race, and as one of the highest rated horses in the field, he has a good chance of adding a second Group One title to his name.
Final declarations with barrier draws for the Takamatsunomiya Kinen will be available on the afternoon of Friday, 27 March.
