1. Hot Delight
Trainer: Francis Lui
Age: 4
Race Record: 5:4-0-0
Rating: 89
The Four-Year-Old Classic Series provides one of Hong Kong racing’s running plots every season: the Classic Mile, into the 1800m Classic Cup and finally the Derby over 2000m.
Hot Delight begins that path with something most of his rivals would happily take now: rating points.
He starts the campaign on 89, the highest mark among the main four-year-old crop but there is depth behind him. Salon S starts on 85 and Mr Incredible on 80, while the big-name Private Purchases (PPs) to arrive during the off-season include Queensland Derby winner Providence and runner-up Monopolistic, both expected to begin somewhere in the low-to-mid 80s.
Hot Delight still has to stretch beyond what he has shown so far, having never raced past 1200m. But Francis Lui has 89 reasons not to hurry. While others scramble for points simply to make the Classic Series cut, Hot Delight can be brought along on his trainer’s terms.
2. Solid State
Trainer: Frankie Lor
Age: 4
Race Record: 1:1-0-0
Rating: 78
We had to wait until one of the final meeting of last season for one of its most explosive performances, when Frankie Lor unveiled Solid State and the former Australian galloper simply ran his rivals into the ground.
His five-and-a-quarter-length Class 3 victory was not only the biggest winning margin by a debutant at that level in Hong Kong since 2015-16, it was also the biggest Hong Kong debut win by a PP in at least 20 years.
Some turnaround, then, for a horse who arrived a seven-start maiden after racing as United States for Chris Waller and Coolmore, who had paid A$1.75 million for him as a yearling.
Plenty will point to the graveyard of PPs who dazzled first-up in Hong Kong and never quite did it again. Fair enough. Military Attack and Werther offer the counterargument.
There is, however, one fairly sizeable asterisk beside all those comparisons: Solid State’s Hong Kong debut was also his first start as a gelding. Judging by the result, the ultimate gear change worked.
3. Unnamed (L536)
Trainer: David Hayes
Age: 4
Race Record: Unraced
Rating: 52
“Hopefully ‘Packing Rocket’,” was David Hayes’ reply when asked whether a name had been settled on for the four-year-old gelding by Proisir out of Miss Vegas.
For now, L536 will have to do. The New Zealand-bred bay, formerly known as Happy Vegas, arrived with an eye-catching trial record, winning all three of his official heats between July 2025 and April this year. The latest was the one to note.
Jumping from barrier nine over 1150m, he showed ample early speed — never a bad attribute to bring to Hong Kong — found the front and kept going to score by 10 lengths in 1:08.33.
The clock backed up the eye. It was the second-fastest of 13 heats over the distance that morning and stacked up well against older, exposed horses.
Owner Edmond Lee, whose horses carry the familiar ‘Packing’ banner, has yet to make things official. L536 has also yet to appear at the trials, but when he does, pay attention.
4. Jedi Spurs
Trainer: David Hayes
Age: 3
Race Record: 2:1-1-0
Rating: 60
Another from the Hayes camp, Jedi Spurs announced himself in mid-June with the sort of debut that tends to make people take notice.
His four-and-a-half-length Griffin victory was the second-biggest winning margin by a debutant in that category over the past 10 seasons, behind only Styling City’s six-and-a-half-length win in 2017-18.
His 55.81 seconds for 1000m was also the second-fastest time by a Griffin debut winner in that period, bettered only by future Champion Sprinter California Spangle’s 55.33. But it was the combination that mattered as no other Griffin debut winner in the past decade had paired a margin of four lengths or more with a time of sub-56 seconds.
Then came the reality check. Jedi Spurs stepped to 1200m second-up and, at $1.10, became the shortest-priced beaten favourite of the entire season when three and three-quarter lengths away in second. Mucus found in his trachea afterwards at least provided an explanation.
He returns as a three-year-old on 60, giving Hayes the choice of the top of Class 4 or the bottom of Class 3, and a full season to find out where his ceiling lies.
5. Ghorgan
Trainer: James Cummings
Age: 5
Race Record: 17:0-1-1
Rating: 52
Here is the swing. Ghorgan has done precious little in Hong Kong to demand inclusion on a horses-to-follow list, which is rather the point.
The German-bred five-year-old is by Study Of Man – a son of the great Japanese sire Deep Impact – arrived in Hong Kong two seasons ago on a rating of 80 with Four-Year-Old Classic Series aspirations, having placed in the Italian and German 2,000 Guineas and the G3 Prix Daphnis at Deauville. Five starts later, ninth remained his best local finish and those aspirations had quickly evaporated.
There were at least signs of life last season, with two placings from 12 starts and a stack of excuses along the way, including a costly check at his final appearance.
Freshman trainer James Cummings now inherits him on 52, another four points shaved off during the off-season, and perhaps more significantly with Hugh Bowman still showing an interest.
Bowman was aboard again at his latest trial, making it seven trial partnerships with Ghorgan without a single race-day ride. For a horse prone to racing keenly, that familiarity will prove valuable if Cummings can secure Bowman for race day, while starting the season on 52 only adds to the appeal. ∎
