1. And The Champion Griffin Award Goes To?
There was some talk on track after Jedi Spurs won Saturday’s Griffin race over 1000 metres that the two-year-old could enter calculations for this season’s Hong Kong Champion Griffin Award.
Let’s be realistic. If there were a market on the award, Hot Delight would be shorter than the $1.60 Jedi Spurs started on debut, with Salon S a clear second market elect.
Jedi Spurs was impressive, but he is almost certainly too late to make a serious run at the award. Winning a Griffin race is one thing. Building the sort of profile that wins Champion Griffin is another, and recent winners have done that by climbing the ratings quickly and proving themselves beyond Griffin company.
Last season’s winner Sky Jewellery won three of five starts in his debut campaign, rose from 52 to 79 and became the lowest-rated winner of the award since Bear Hero claimed it in 2010-11 off a mark of 75.
The recent honour roll makes the point. Ka Ying Rising won five of seven, finished second twice, ended his first season with victory in the G3 Sha Tin Vase and soared from 52 to 111. Howdeepisyourlove won four of 12, finished in the top three nine times, won in Class 2 and rose 44 points from 52 to 96.
Lucky Sweynesse won five of seven in his first season. Fantastic Treasure went unbeaten through five starts and won in Class 2. Good Luck Friend won four of six and climbed from 52 to 85. You get the point.
The Cheng family, who race Jedi Spurs, know better than most how high the bar can be. Aethero won the first Griffin race of the 2018-19 season in April, followed up in the next Griffin race over 1200 metres and then stepped straight into Class 3 off a mark of 75 and won again, ending the season rated 89.
Even that was not enough. Champion’s Way claimed the award after winning six of seven, rising from 54 to 108 and signing off with victory in the G3 Lion Rock Trophy.
The last Champion Griffin winner who actually raced in Griffin races was Bullish Smart, who won three – including a Class 3 – and placed twice from six starts in 2013-14.
The eligibility criteria has been revised this season, broadening the pool beyond the old K-brand import rule. Previously, the award was open to new imports carrying the “K” brand that arrived in Hong Kong unraced and were aged two or three on the date of the first Hong Kong race meeting of the season.
For 2025-26, eligibility is based on whether a horse arrived in Hong Kong unraced, made its Hong Kong debut during the season and was aged two or three on January 1, 2026. The date of import and brand prefix no longer determine eligibility.
That change removes the technicality that caught out Juneau Pride last season. The Size-trained galloper reached a rating of 80 after debuting as a three-year-old, but was ineligible because he had arrived in Hong Kong the previous March.
But back to this season, where Hot Delight won’t be for catching. He has won four of five, including a Class 2 victory at his most recent start, and has climbed from a debut mark of 52 to 89.
Salon S sits second in the running after an identical four-from-five record. He is rated four points below Hot Delight on 85, finishing fourth in his only Class 2 attempt.
It is hard to see the nominations stretching too far beyond those two. My Mars is the next pick after winning two of his first three starts and rising from 64 to 80 in a short space of time.
Foaled on March 28, 2023, My Mars is only about four and a half months older than Saturday’s Griffin winner Jedi Spurs.
2. My Mars’ Ligament Scare
Speaking of My Mars, Jockey Club veterinary reports show the promising youngster suffered a left fore ligament injury on June 3, but trainer David Hayes says the injury is not as bad as it reads.
“It’s very minor,” Hayes told Idol Horse. “It’s like what I would call an earth tremor, not an earthquake. And if we raced him, which we could have, we risked an earthquake.
“So he’ll be back at the start of the season, and he did his job.
“It was an easy decision with a horse of that class. I just didn’t want to take any chances.”
Also appearing in recent veterinary notes is Derby fourth-placegetter Patch Of Cosmo, who was found to have suffered a left fore tendon injury after his latest start. The same injury sidelined him for 315 days before his return on January 18.
Records show Patch Of Cosmo has been at Conghua since June 10, where he has swum three times.
3. Crawford Chasing Ratings With Mr Incredible
Brett Crawford hopes emerging talent Mr Incredible can earn the rating he needs for a smoother path towards next season’s Four-Year-Old Classic Series when he has one more run this term.
The three-year-old has won two of his three starts, most recently putting three and three-quarter lengths on his Class 4 rivals. He will rise to Class 3 off a mark of 70 at his next start, with Crawford keen to give him another chance to earn points before the season ends.
“He’ll run on the 27th of this month in a Class 3 over 1200m on turf,” Crawford told Idol Horse. “That’ll be his last run and hopefully he goes well, then we can plan for next season.
“We thought we’d give him one more run, hopefully he’ll be super competitive and get a higher rating. Then it doesn’t put us under too much pressure for next season. We can plan properly.”
4. Angus Chung Sees More To Come From Tycoon Resources
Tycoon Resources is already three from three and has quickly become one of the late-season three-year-olds to mark down, but Angus Chung believes there is still plenty of improvement to come when the youngster decides to improve on his pre-race manners.
Fired up, sweating and frothing at the mouth, with a mafoo on either side, Tycoon Resources does not tick many boxes in the parade ring beyond his looks. What he has done on race night at Happy Valley speaks volumes about his natural ability, but Chung admits even he was worried before his most recent win.
“I was worried that night,” Chung told Idol Horse. “He was sweating quite a lot in the parade ring, but in the barriers he was calmer than the start before, which was a good sign.
“In trackwork, when we put the hood on in the small track, he seems calm, but take the hood off him and it’s a different story.”
Chung said there are plans to test Tycoon Resources at Sha Tin before the season ends.
5. Sky Jewellery’s Season Over, But All Is Well
John Size has eased concerns over Sky Jewellery after the talented four-year-old was withdrawn from an intended 1200-metre barrier trial at Conghua last Friday.
“All is well, but he is not racing for the rest of this season,” Size said. “He’s started his summer break.”
Last season’s Champion Griffin raced only three times this campaign after bleeding following a barrier trial in November. He won his first two starts back by one and a quarter lengths and one and three-quarter lengths before finishing fourth in the G3 Lion Rock Trophy.
6. Mo Survives Licensing Call As Avdulla Gets Part Season
Dylan Mo has come through another round of licensing decisions, with the popular local rider granted a Freelance Jockey’s licence for the full 2026-27 racing season.
The decision comes a year after Mo was issued with a final written warning in respect of his overall performance during the 2024-25 season.
Mo has ridden six winners this term, bettering the four he managed last season, with three of those victories coming aboard Francis Lui’s stayer Winning Wing. The partnership has turned Mo into an unlikely crowd favourite, with racegoers often giving him a full-throated reception in the parade ring when Winning Wing lines up in a feature race.
Brenton Avdulla was the notable name restricted to a part-season licence, with the Australian granted only until February 17. Avdulla sits 16th on the jockeys’ table with 20 wins this season, a sharp drop from the 47 victories that carried him to fourth last term.
James Orman has moved the other way. After finishing last season 20th with 13 wins, the Australian has climbed to 10th this term with 31 victories and has been granted a full-season licence for 2026-27. ∎
