FWD Champions Day again brought Sha Tin to life on Sunday, with Hong Kong’s spring showpiece combining world-class racing, international attention and a strong supporting programme around the three Group 1 features.
The day was built around the Chairman’s Sprint Prize, the FWD Champions Mile and the FWD QEII Cup, with some of the best horses in Hong Kong joined by a strong international presence.
While the feature races were always going to carry the most attention, the early part of the card still produced a story with a familiar regional flavour when Big Return, a former Singapore-trained runner, took out Race 2 for Jamie Richards.
The four-year-old son of Divine Prophet had already shown he was heading the right way in Hong Kong, having won over the Sha Tin mile on April 6 before backing up 20 days later on Champions Day.
That previous victory came after he was held up between the 400m and 300m, but once clear he was able to finish off strongly and show that the step to 1600m suited him.
On Sunday, he confirmed that again.
Big Return made it two wins from two starts over the mile, giving connections another strong result.
Owned by the Toast Sports Trust Syndicate and trained by Jamie Richards, Big Return has now built his Hong Kong record to two wins and one placing from 13 starts, with both of those victories coming at Sha Tin.
For Richards, it was another reminder of the patient approach often required in Hong Kong.
Big Return had been working through Class 4 company without always having things fall his way, but his form had been consistent enough to suggest there was a race there for him.
His earlier runs over 1200m and 1400m had included some honest efforts without winning, before the move to 1600m unlocked the improvement connections were hoping to see.
The Singapore connection made the result even more notable from a regional point of view.
Horses with previous links to Singapore racing continue to find their way into other Asian jurisdictions, and Big Return’s win on one of Hong Kong’s biggest race days was a timely reminder of the depth that has come through that system.
G1 Chairmans Sprint Prize 1200m
Ka Ying Rising did what champions do in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize at Sha Tin, turning another Group 1 test into another statement of dominance.
The world-class sprinter made it 20 wins in a row, extending one of the most remarkable winning streaks in modern racing and further strengthening the case that he is not just the best sprinter in Hong Kong, but potentially the best horse on the planet.
There was pressure, expectation and history around the race, but Ka Ying Rising handled it all like it was just another assignment. He did not need to lead. He did not need the race run perfectly to suit him. He simply travelled, waited, and when Zac Purton asked him to go, the race was over in a matter of strides.
Sitting just off the speed after electing to not take the lead, Ka Ying Rising always looked to be within striking range. Purton allowed him to find his rhythm behind the leaders before peeling around heels at the right moment. Once balanced, the response was immediate.
He surged clear, spaced his rivals and stopped the clock in 1:07.10, breaking another Sha Tin track record and stamping his authority on a sprinting division that he continues to own.
For trainer David Hayes, the performance only added to what he already believes about the gelding.
“A long time ago, I thought he might have been the best horse I’ve trained, and about a year ago, I thought he was the best horse I’ve ever trained, and now I think he is one of the best I’ve ever seen!” Hayes said.
It was a powerful statement from a trainer who has prepared elite horses across Australia and Hong Kong, but it is becoming harder to argue against him.
Ka Ying Rising has now gone from outstanding Hong Kong sprinter to global racing figure. Every start seems to bring a new level of expectation, yet every start also brings the same result. He wins, he breaks records, and he does it with the kind of ease that separates very good horses from rare ones.
The Chairman’s Sprint Prize was supposed to be another major test, but he made it look routine. His ability to sit off speed, quicken instantly and sustain that power through the line makes him a difficult horse to pressure and an almost impossible horse to beat.
This was not just a win. It was another performance that felt bigger than the result itself.
Ka Ying Rising is now unbeaten across his past 20 starts, a Group 1 winner again, a track record breaker again, and a horse whose reputation continues to grow beyond Hong Kong.
The question is no longer whether he is the best sprinter but the best horse across the board.
G1 Champions Mile 1600m
My Wish delivered one of the biggest moments of FWD Champions Day when he stormed home to win the Champions Mile, giving Hugh Bowman successive victories in the race after his win aboard Red Lion in 2025.
For Bowman, it was another perfectly timed Sha Tin Group 1 ride. My Wish was not forced into the race early from gate 10 and instead was allowed to settle back in the field, conserve his energy and build into the race when it mattered.
Turning for home, the Mark Newnham-trained gelding still had work to do, but once Bowman angled him into clear passage, he let down strongly and produced the turn of foot that had been building through his recent performances.
It was a deserved Group 1 breakthrough for a horse who had been racing consistently against Hong Kong’s best. The five-year-old son of Flying Artie had already compiled a strong local record, with six wins, four seconds and two thirds from 18 starts, all of them on the Sha Tin turf.
He had also shown his quality over the Champions Mile course and distance. Before Sunday, My Wish had raced eight times over 1600m at Sha Tin for two wins, a second and a third, while his overall record at the mile now underlines him as a serious and reliable performer at the trip.
His lead-up run had been full of merit when he stormed home for second behind Lucky Sweynesse in Group 2 company on April 6, beaten only a head. That performance suggested he was close to another major win, and on Champions Day he took the next step.
While he had been placed around elite company before, including strong efforts behind Voyage Bubble and Romantic Warrior, this was the day My Wish turned consistency into a major prize.
The result also completed an all-Australian jockey trifecta in the Champions Mile. Bowman took the honours aboard My Wish, while last year’s Hong Kong Derby winner Cap Ferrat ran home strongly into second, and Docklands finished close behind in third.
For trainer Mark Newnham and owner Ada Che Xiao Hong, it was a career-defining win with a horse who has continued to improve through the Hong Kong system.
My Wish had won from 1200m through to 1600m earlier in his career and had even placed out to 2000m, but the mile at Sha Tin has clearly become his stage. He arrived at FWD Champions Day as a horse knocking on the door at the top level and left as a Group 1 winner.
FWD QEII CUP 2000m
Romantic Warrior again showed why he sits at the top of Hong Kong racing, producing another dominant display in the FWD QEII Cup at Sha Tin.
The Danny Shum-trained champion went into the race as the clear headline act of FWD Champions Day, and once again he delivered under James McDonald, adding another major race to a career that continues to grow in stature.
It was the performance of a horse who has made winning at the highest level look routine.
Romantic Warrior came into the race with a remarkable record, having won 19 of his 23 local starts and 22 of his 28 starts on turf. At Group 1 level, he had already established himself as one of the most reliable elite performers in world racing, with 13 wins and five seconds from 19 Group 1 starts.
At Sha Tin, and particularly over 2000m, his record is almost untouchable.
The eight-year-old son of Acclamation had won 17 of his 21 starts at Sha Tin before the race, while his course-and-distance record over 2000m stood at 13 wins and one second from 14 attempts. Overall at the trip, he had won 14 of 16 starts, further underlining why the QEII Cup has become one of his natural targets.
This season, Romantic Warrior has been perfect.
He resumed with an impressive Group 2 win over Voyage Bubble in November, before taking out another Group 1 over 2000m in December. He then showed his versatility by dropping back to the mile in January and beating Lucky Sweynesse, before returning to 2000m in March and winning easily by four lengths over Ensued.
That last-start victory came in 1:59.77, with Romantic Warrior closing off in 22.52, and it confirmed that the local champion was still in outstanding form heading into Champions Day.
For owner Peter Lau Pak Fai, trainer Danny Shum and McDonald, he has been the horse of a lifetime.
Bought for HK$4.8 million, Romantic Warrior has now earned more than HK$254 million in stakes and built a record that places him among the greats of Hong Kong racing.
McDonald’s connection with the horse has also become one of the defining partnerships of his career. Before Sunday, he had ridden Romantic Warrior 18 times for 15 wins and two placings, a record that reflects both the horse’s brilliance and the understanding between jockey and champion.
There are very few horses who can carry the expectation Romantic Warrior does and keep answering it.
He has won from 1200m through to 2040m, placed out to 2400m, travelled overseas and come back, and still returned to Sha Tin as the benchmark horse in Hong Kong.
The FWD QEII Cup was another chance for the racing world to see what Hong Kong fans already know.
Romantic Warrior is not just a local champion.
He is one of the great racehorses of his generation along with Ka Ying Rising.
By Scott Bailey
