Hong Kong
Hong Kong International Races is an event consisting of the four most prestigious horse races in Hong Kong. It is hosted by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
The event currently with a total purse of HKD$110 million is run annually in mid-December at Sha Tin Racecourse and is televised around the globe.
History
1989 marked the start of the Hong Kong Cup, which was initially called Hong Kong Invitation Cup and restricted to horses from Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
The first winner was FLYING DANCER, owned by Lim Por Yen and trained by Brian Kan Ping Chee.
The race quickly gained attention and was gradually opened to horses from other countries. Starting in 1991, the Hong Kong Mile, Hong Kong Vase and Hong Kong Sprint were added to the program and today horses from all over the world compete in the event.
Showcase
Hong Kong Cup
With a total purse of HK$34 million (approximately US$4.33 million), the Hong Kong Cup is currently the richest race in Hong Kong and the most lucrative 2000m turf race in the world. It is also the centrepiece of Hong Kong’s biggest international sporting event.
The initial incarnation of the Hong Kong Cup took place at Sha Tin Racecourse back in 1988, an 1800m heat open to raiders from Singapore and Malaysia and billed as the Hong Kong Invitation Cup. FLYING DANCER prevailed for home trainer Brian Kan and jockey Bartie Leisher.
The race attained international Group 3 status in December 1993 and was further upgraded to international Group 2 status the following year. The big breakthrough came in 1999 when the Hong Kong International Cup was renamed the Hong Kong Cup and became the first Hong Kong race to be designated an international Group 1.
Hong Kong Mile
The Hong Kong Mile, initially the Hong Kong Invitation Bowl, was inaugurated in 1991 to mark Hong Kong's staging of that year's Asian Racing Conference. Ireland's ADDITIONAL RISK won that first edition for trainer Dermot Weld and jockey Mick Kinane.
The race attained international Group 3 status in 1994 and was further upgraded to Group 2 the following year. The UK-trained DOCKSIDER won the race the first time that it was held in its now familiar guise, the Hong Kong Mile over 1600m in 1999. The race was upgraded to International Group 1 status when New Zealand super mare SUNLINE took the race in 2000.
The Hong Kong Mile is one of the four Hong Kong International Races, and it presently offers a purse of HK$30,000,000 (approximately US$3.82 million).
Hong Kong Vase
The Hong Kong Vase was introduced to the December programme in 1994 and it was France-trained runner RED BISHOP that took the inaugural prize.
This 2400m showpiece event was upped to international Group 2 level in 1996, before being upgraded to Group 1 when DALIAPOUR won in 2000.
The race carries a total purse of HK$22 million (approximately US$2.8 million) and it ranked equal 13th, the highest of the four HKIR events, in the World’s Top 100 G1 Races in 2019.
Hong Kong Sprint
The Hong Kong Sprint was the fourth and final international race added to the event when it was first run as a Listed race in 1999. FAIRY KING PRAWN proved a fittingly top-class first winner. The race attained Group 3 status in 2000 and Group 2 status one year later. In 2002, the Sprint became the last of the HKIR features to attain Group 1 status, establishing the four-race Group 1 format we know today. The race distance was upped from 1000m to 1200m in 2006.
The total prize money of the Hong Kong Sprint has increased to HK$24 million (approximately US$3.05 million) in 2021.
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Past 5 Years Winners
Hong Kong Cup
Loves Only You
Yuga Kawada(Jockey)
Yoshito Yahagi(Trainer)
Hong Kong Mile
Golden Sixty
Vincent Ho Chak You(Jockey)
Stanley Chan Ka Leung(Trainer)
Hong Kong Vase
GLORY VASE
Joao Moreira(Jockey)
Tomohito Ozeki(Trainer)
Hong Kong Sprint
Sky Field
Blake Shinn(Jockey)
Caspar Fownes(Trainer)
Hong Kong Cup
NORMCORE
Zac Purton(Jockey)
Kiyoshi Hagiwara(Trainer)
Hong Kong Mile
Golden Sixty
Vincent Ho Chak You(Jockey)
Stanley Chan Ka Leung(Trainer)
Hong Kong Vase
MOGUL
Ryan Moore(Jockey)
Aidan O’Brien(Trainer)
Hong Kong Sprint
DANON SMASH
Ryan Moore(Jockey)
Takayuki Yasuda(Trainer)
Hong Kong Cup
WIN BRIGHT
Masami Matsuoka(Jockey)
Yoshihiro Hatakeyama(Trainer)
Hong Kong Mile
ADMIRE MARS
Christophe Soumillon(Jockey)
Yasuo Tomomichi(Trainer)
Hong Kong Vase
GLORY VASE
Joao Moreira(Jockey)
Tomohito Ozeki(Trainer)
Hong Kong Sprint
BEAT THE CLOCK
Joao Moreira(Jockey)
John Size(Trainer)
Hong Kong Cup
GLORIOUS FOREVER
Silvestre De Sousa(Jockey)
Frankie Lor Fu Chuen(Trainer)
Hong Kong Mile
BEAUTY GENERATION
Zac Purton(Jockey)
Patrick Kwok Ho Chuen(Trainer)
Hong Kong Vase
EXULTANT
Zac Purton(Jockey)
Tony Cruz(Trainer)
Hong Kong Sprint
MR STUNNING
Karis Teetan(Jockey)
Frankie Lor Fu Chuen(Trainer)
Hong Kong Cup
TIME WARP
Zac Purton(Jockey)
Tony Cruz(Trainer)
Hong Kong Mile
BEAUTY GENERATION
Derek Leung Ka Chun(Jockey)
Patrick Kwok Ho Chuen(Trainer)
Hong Kong Vase
HIGHLAND REEL
Ryan Moore(Jockey)
Aidan O’Brian(Trainer)
Hong Kong Sprint
MR STUNNING
Nash Rawiller(Jockey)
John Size(Trainer)
