Three of the biggest horse racing events in Hong Kong will commence on January 24 at Sha Tin Racecourse. The event will combine speed, star power, and supremacy and will include the first leg of the Triple Crown – the Group 1 level Stewards' Cup, the first leg of the Champion Sprint Series – Centenary Sprint Cup, and the first leg of 4-Year-Old Classic Series – the Classic Mile.
The prize money for Stewards' Cup has increased to $12 million this year. Over the years this Hong Kong Thoroughbred horse race has seen racing superstars such as Able Friend, Good Ba Ba, Ambitious Dragon, Bullish Luck, Fairy King Prawn, Electronic Unicorn, and Beauty Generation – the New Zealand-bred gelding, one of the greatest champions in the history of Hong Kong racing, who will have a farewell special ceremony at Sha Tin on January 24 before the horse leaves for a life of retirement in Australia at Living Legends, a non-profit organisation in Melbourne that provides 'life after racing' for retired horses. This year's star of the show is posing to be Golden Sixty, a burgeoning Hong Kong horse racing hero who won against all his international rivals in the $25 million G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile in Sha Tin last December 2020.
The Centenary Sprint Cup, the newest of 12 Group 1 events in Hong Kong, has also increased the prize money to $12 million this year. The 2020 winner was four-time Group One champ Beat The Clock who has since retired after suffering a suspensory injury. This year, thoroughbred Silent Witness features prominently among the race's honour roll.
Meanwhile, horse owners and trainers will definitely seek victory for this year's Hong Kong Classic Mile – the first and shortest race in the Four-Year-Old Classic Series – as they hope to get a coveted place in the BMW Hong Kong Derby.
Currently, the racecourse is off-limits for ground viewing due to ongoing social distancing measures. To watch the live broadcasts of all the races, download HKJC TV app.