Hong Kong Cup
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Group 1 race | |
|---|---|
| Hong Kong Cup | |
| Location | Sha Tin Racecourse Hong Kong, China  |
| Inaugurated | 1988 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Website | Hong Kong Jockey Club |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 2,000 metres |
| Track | Grass, right-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-olds & up |
| Weight | Assigned |
| Purse | HK$20,000,000 |
The Hong Kong Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong for three-year-old and above thoroughbreds run over a distance of 2,000 metres (approximately 1 mile 2 furlongs) at Sha Tin Racecourse in mid December. The race currently offers a purse of HK$20,000,000 (approximately US$2.5 million).
The inaugural race was held on January 24, 1988. Following the January 1989 race, it was changed to a December event and another running took place that same year on December 17, 1989. The race was first run over 1,800 metres (1 mile 1 furlong) which was increased to the present distance in 1999 when the race became a Group 1 event. It is one of the four Hong Kong International Races.
The first race was restricted to horses trained in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. Added to this list for the following season were horses from Australia and New Zealand. European trained horses were admitted in 1990, followed by those from the United States in 1991, Canada and Japan in 1992.
The race was originally staged in January, and was switched to December for the third running, therefore taking place twice within 1989.
[edit] Records
Speed record: (at present distance of 2,000 metres)
- 2:00.9 - Falbrav (2003)
Most wins:
- No horse has won this race more than once
Most wins by an owner:
- 2 - Godolphin Racing (2000, 2007)
Most wins by a jockey:
- 3 - Frankie Dettori (2000, 2003, 2007)
Most wins by a trainer:
- 2 - Saeed bin Suroor (2000, 2007)
[edit] Winners of the Hong Kong Cup
| Year |
Winner |
Age |
Jockey |
Trainer |
Owner |
Time |
| 1988 | Flying Dancer | 5 | Bartie Leisher | Brian Kan Ping-chee | Lim Por-yen | 1:48.6 |
| 1989 | Colonial Chief | 4 | Tony Cruz | Ivan W. Allan | Promise Stable | 1:49.3 |
| 1989 | Grey Invader | 4 | Gary Stewart | Alvin Clark | E. J. Johnson et al | 1:48.0 |
| 1990 | Kessem | 5 | Kevin Moses | Brian Smith | B. Duncan et al | 1:48.4 |
| 1991 | River Verdon | 4 | Gerald Mosse | David Hill | Sir Oswald Cheung, Ronald Arculli | 1:49.8 |
| 1992 | Romanee Conti * | 4 | Greg Childs | Laurie Laxon | Peter & Philip Vela | 1:48.2 |
| 1993 | Motivation | 5 | John Marshall | John Moore | Mr & Mrs Hui Sai Fun | 1:49.2 |
| 1994 | State Taj | 5 | Damien Oliver | James L. Riley | Neville Begg & Partners | 1:48.4 |
| 1995 | Fujiyama Kenzan | 7 | Masayoshi Ebina | Hideyuki Mori | Tatsuya Fujimoto | 1:47.0 |
| 1996 | First Island | 4 | Michael Hills | Geoff Wragg | Mollers Racing | 1:48.2 |
| 1997 | Val's Prince | 5 | Cash Asmussen | James E. Picou | Robin Martin/Steven Weiner | 1:47.2 |
| 1998 | Midnight Bet | 4 | Hiroshi Kawachi | Hiroyuki Nagahama | Shadai Racehorse Co. Ltd. | 1:46.9 |
| 1999 | Jim And Tonic | 5 | Gerald Mosse | Francois Doumen | John D. Martin | 2:01.4 |
| 2000 | Fantastic Light | 4 | Frankie Dettori | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin | 2:02.2 |
| 2001 | Agnes Digital | 4 | Hirofumi Shii | Toshiaki Shirai | Takao Watanabe | 2:02.8 |
| 2002 | Precision | 4 | Michael Kinane | David Oughton | Wu Sai Wing | 2:07.1 |
| 2003 | Falbrav | 5 | Frankie Dettori | Luca Cumani | Scuderia Rencati, Teruya Yoshida | 2:00.9 |
| 2004 | Alexander Goldrun | 3 | Kevin Manning | Jim Bolger | Miriam O'Callaghan | 2:03.3 |
| 2005 | Vengeance of Rain | 4 | Anthony Delpech | David E. Ferraris | Raymond Gianco Chow Hon Man | 2:04.5 |
| 2006 | Pride | 6 | Christophe Lemaire | Alain de Royer-Dupre | NP Bloodstock Ltd | 2:01.6 |
| 2007 | Ramonti | 5 | Frankie Dettori | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin | 2:02.8 |
* The "1992" race actually took place in April 1993 - it had been postponed in December due to an equine virus.
