Voyage Bubble is likely to begin his 2025-26 campaign over a mile in November after Ricky Yiu confirmed his stable star’s initial target and outlined the possibility of another Hong Kong Triple Crown campaign.
“We’ll have to see how he is, but why not? He has proven he can do it already,” Yiu told Idol Horse.
Voyage Bubble became just the second horse to win the Triple Crown, 31 years on from River Verdon, courtesy of his imperious three-and-a-half-length success in May’s G1 Champions & Chater Cup on his first start over 2400m.
Yiu confirmed Voyage Bubble’s first stop next season would again be in November’s G2 Jockey Club Cup over a mile.
“We’ll start over a mile in November and then we’ll take it race by race from there. We can gradually step him up throughout the season,” Yiu said, opening up the option of attempting to win the G1 Hong Kong Cup over 2000m or defend his G1 Hong Kong Mile title at the international races in December.
While Voyage Bubble’s monumental 2024/25 season was not enough to be crowned Hong Kong’s Horse of the Year at the Champion Awards last week – that accolade went to the brilliant sprinter Ka Ying Rising – Yiu said he had nothing but admiration for his six-year-old, who is enjoying a well-earned rest at the Jockey Club’s Conghua training centre.
“He’s doing really well, it’s unbelievable really,” the trainer said. “He went up to Conghua last month and even straight after the race his legs were great and he was eating up as usual. He’s always a happy horse and it was almost as if he never had a race.
“He really is an amazing horse and to win the Triple Crown with him was just amazing. It wasn’t something we thought about at the beginning of the season but, wow, I’m just really pleased for the horse and also for the owner.”
Hong Kong’s Triple Crown consists of January’s G1 Stewards’ Cup over a mile, February’s G1 Hong Kong Gold Cup over 2000m and then the Champions & Chater Cup, one of only three races over 2400m at Sha Tin each year.
With each race requiring a completely different skillset – early speed and a turn of foot can be key over a mile, while the ability to switch off and save energy may make the difference over 2400m – Yiu admits the mile-and-a-half trip was always going to ask plenty of Voyage Bubble.
“Of course, you can never be sure about the 2400m until you try,” Yiu added. “But he was very impressive over 2000m and we were confident. Then, in the race, when you looked at him at the top of the straight in the (Champions & Chater Cup), he looked unbeatable.” ∎
