Hong Kong’s FWD Champions Day: Live Coverage From Sha Tin As Ka Ying Rising, Red Lion, Tastiera Take Features
Welcome to rolling coverage of 2025 FWD Champions Day. Check back during the day for live updates and analysis from the Idol Horse team.
Excitement is building ahead of the three Group 1 features on FWD Champions Day, Hong Kong’s premier spring meeting at Sha Tin Racecourse.
After rain hit Hong Kong last night, it has mostly cleared this morning – although there are still patches of rain and mist around. Still, a good track is anticipated, even potentially drying out to a good to firm surface later this afternoon. Thousands of fans are expected to flock to Sha Tin over the coming hours.
G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m)
| PLACING | HORSE | JOCKEY |
| 1st | KA YING RISING | Zac Purton |
| 2nd | SATONO REVE | Joao Moreira |
| 3rd | HELIOS EXPRESS | Hugh Bowman |
| 4th | INVINCIBLE SAGE | Matthew Poon |
IDOL HORSE ANALYSIS: Idol Horse editor Michael Cox framed the race as being Ka Ying Rising versus the clock, and so it proved as he unleashed incredible acceleration to win the G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize eased down by two and a quarter lengths over Satono Reve and Helios Express. His track record of 1:07.20 was not threatened, but he still recorded a very slick 1:07.88 on a surface not playing as fast as it has in recent weeks. It was a sensational effort from a champion horse. Behind the placegetters, Invincible Sage recorded his best performance since taking this race 12 months ago in fourth, Lugal performed much better than he did in December, closing off for fifth, while Lucky Sweynesse was ring rusty but showed he might still have some fight left with a passable sixth.
WHAT THEY SAID: Zac Purton, jockey, Ka Ying Rising (1st) – “What more can you say? Every time he comes out here, he produces something special. He did that again today and he didn’t even change his legs. He puts them away very quickly. I applaud the Japanese, they are willing to travel and willing to take anyone around the world on. You’ve got to give them credit for doing that, but they were playing second fiddle to him today.”
David Hayes, trainer, Ka Ying Rising (1st) – “Thank god that’s over! The perfect season. I’ve never saddled up $1 chances in Group 1 races before, it’s a great feeling but it’s nervewracking. He’s a freak of nature.”
THE IDOL HORSE VIEW
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G1 Champions Mile (1600m)
| PLACING | HORSE | JOCKEY |
| 1st | RED LION | Hugh Bowman |
| 2nd | VOYAGE BUBBLE | James McDonald |
| 3rd | SUNLIGHT POWER | Christophe Soumillon |
| 4th | MY WISH | Luke Ferraris |
IDOL HORSE ANALYSIS: Ninety seconds of action on the track produced 20 minutes of drama as stewards pored over the replay and decided whether to award Hong Kong star Voyage Bubble the race. He did cop a bump from Red Lion, but it seemed like the right call to keep the result as they finished across the line. There have been some shocks in this race but Red Lion was a real surprise. He had twice won Class 1 1400m races – the final ever Hong Kong Macau Trophy in 2023, defeating last year’s Champions Mile winner Beauty Eternal, while he took the Chinese New Year Cup last year with a neck victory over Mugen. However, in 12 starts at stakes level, Red Lion had not won. He was second to Beauty Eternal in the Champions Mile last year and was also third in the G1 Stewards’ Cup, although three lengths behind Voyage Bubble. However, there was little to suggest he could find enough to challenge Voyage Bubble. It was a huge trifecta with Sunlight Power flashing home for third, just half a length from the winner. It was a 181-1 quinella place for anyone who could find Red Lion and Sunlight Power together. My Wish proved he belongs at the top level with a gritty fourth, Galaxy Patch flew home for fifth and the Australians Royal Patronage and Mr Brightside ran poorly to fill the last two spots.
WHAT THEY SAID: Hugh Bowman, jockey, Red Lion (1st) – “I didn’t expect to win but the fact that he has is no surprise either. He ran second in the race last year. I’ve ridden him a lot, I know him very well. I’m so proud of him. Congratulations to John and to the owners, Ronald and Johanna (Arculli) because he’s such a consistent horse and he’s a worthy Group 1 winner. I’m a bit lost for words to be honest.
“It’s fantastic. He’s a very consistent, courageous horse. Having had the opportunity to ride him a few times, I had the confidence in him. I didn’t really expect to lead but full credit to John and his team because they’ve turned him out in fantastic order and with a little bit of moisture in the ground, it certainly assisted his chances and I’m just so proud of him.”
James McDonald, jockey, Voyage Bubble (2nd) – “He was super. I was really proud of his effort.”
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G1 QEII Cup (2000m)
| PLACING | HORSE | JOCKEY |
| 1st | TASTIERA | Damian Lane |
| 2nd | PROGNOSIS | James McDonald |
| 3rd | CALIF | Adrie de Vries |
| 4th | ENSUED | Brenton Avdulla |
IDOL HORSE ANALYSIS: The question was, what would happen if Prognosis jumped away with them? The answer? He jumped away on terms but was taken back to last anyway. In the end, that proved decisive as he simply could not reel in Tastiera, who was given a peach of a ride under Damian Lane. He became the second Tokyo Yushun winner to taste success abroad in April after Danon Decile won the Sheema Classic at Meydan. It also gave Noriyuki Hori his third success at the Champions Day meeting following Maurice’s 2016 Champions Mile success and Neorealism’s QEII Cup victory the following year. Calif ran a bold race for third, a significant improvement on his effort in December and a big result for Bahrain. King George winner Goliath was not seen to best effect, finishing a distant ninth. Sadly, one of Japan’s most popular horses Liberty Island could not be saved after suffering an injury in the concluding stages.
WHAT THEY SAID: Damian Lane, jockey, Tastiera (1st) – “Noriyuki Hori is an amazing conditioner of horses and this horse is just a star. A great success for Carrot Farm. It’s just a privilege. It’s what it’s all about. I just feel privileged and lucky to be here on these days, let alone having great chances on these horses. It is what being a jockey is all about, competing on these big international carnivals. It’s very rewarding.”
James McDonald, jockey, Prognosis (2nd) – “Just his barrier manners let him down. He ran well.”
Adrie de Vries, jockey, Calif (3rd) – “Very happy. We were in a nice position. He jumped into the bridle a little bit too soon in the turn and I had to take him back strongly but after he picked up nice and we are more than happy. He finished off the race well, back to his old form.”
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From The Track
Japanese racing fans swarmed to Sha Tin to get jerseys and limited edition Romantic Warrior cards, courtesy of Idol Horse.
Before the first race, an Opening Ceremony was held featuring K-Pop idol MINNIE of (G)I-DLE and pop diva Joey Yung.
Stay tuned for further coverage from the track. ∎
