Hong Kong Sprint

Longines Hong Kong Sprint

Class	Group 1
Location	Sha Tin Racecourse Hong Kong, China
Inaugurated	1999
Race type	Flat / Thoroughbred
Sponsor	Longines
Website	Hong Kong Jockey Club
Race information
Distance	1,200 metres (a6f)
Surface	Turf
Track	Right-handed
Qualification	Three-years-old and up
Weight	126 lb Allowances 4 lb for fillies and mares
Purse	HK$26,000,000 (2023) [1] 1st: HK$14,560,000
Bonuses	see Global Sprint Challenge

The Hong Kong Sprint is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 1,200 metres (about 6 furlongs) at Sha Tin, and takes place in mid-December.

The race was first run in 1999, and originally contested over 1,000 metres. It was richest 1,000m horse race in the world before 2006. It was promoted to Group 1 status in 2002, and the present distance, 1,200 metres, was introduced in 2006. The event is now the final leg in the nine race Global Sprint Challenge series, preceded by The Age Classic.

The Hong Kong Sprint is one of the four Hong Kong International Races, and it presently offers a purse of HK$26,000,000.

Records

Trophy of the Hong Kong Sprint

Speed record: (at present distance of 1,200 metres)

• 1:07.80 – Absolute Champion (2006)

Most wins:

• 2 – Falvelon (2000, 2001)
• 2 – Silent Witness (2003, 2004)
• 2 – Sacred Kingdom (2007, 2009)
• 2 – Lord Kanaloa (2012, 2013)
• 2 – Aerovelocity (2014, 2016)
• 2 – Mr Stunning (2017, 2018)

Most wins by a jockey:

• 3 – Brett Prebble (2006, 2009, 2011)
• 3 – Zac Purton (2014, 2016, 2023)

Most wins by a trainer:

• 3 – Ricky Yiu (1999, 2007, 2009)

Most wins by an owner:

• 2 – Dawn Falvey et al. (2000, 2001)
• 2 – Archie & Betty da Silva (2003, 2004)
• 2 – Sin Kang Yuk (2007, 2009)
• 2 – Lord Horse Club (2012, 2013)
• 2 – Daniel Yeung Ngai (2014, 2016)
• 2 – Maurice Koo Win Chong (2017, 2018)

Winners

Year	Winner	Age	Jockey	Trainer (Trained In)	Owner	Time
1999	Fairy King Prawn	4	Steven King	Ricky Yiu Poon-fai (Hong Kong)	Mr & Mrs Philip Lau Sak-Hong	0:56.50
2000	Falvelon	4	Damien Oliver	Danny Bougoure (Australia)	Dawn Falvey et al.	0:56.70
2001	Falvelon	5	Damien Oliver	Danny Bougoure (Australia)	Dawn Falvey et al.	0:57.00
2002	All Thrills Too	5	Gérald Mossé	David Hayes (Hong Kong)	Alan Lam Man Bun	0:56.40
2003	Silent Witness	4	Felix Coetzee	Tony Cruz (Hong Kong)	Archie & Betty da Silva	0:56.50
2004	Silent Witness	5	Felix Coetzee	Tony Cruz (Hong Kong)	Archie & Betty da Silva	0:56.80
2005	Natural Blitz	5	Glyn Schofield	Derek Cruz (Hong Kong)	Danny Lam Yin Kee	0:57.60
2006	Absolute Champion	5	Brett Prebble	David Hall (Hong Kong)	Mr & Mrs Eddie Wong Ming Chak	1:07.80
2007	Sacred Kingdom	4	Gérald Mossé	Ricky Yiu Poon-fai (Hong Kong)	Sin Kang Yuk	1:08.40
2008	Inspiration	5	Darren Beadman	John Moore (Hong Kong)	Mr & Mrs Hui Sai Fun	1:08.68
2009	Sacred Kingdom	6	Brett Prebble	Ricky Yiu Poon-fai (Hong Kong)	Sin Kang Yuk	1:09.16
2010	J J the Jet Plane	6	Piere Strydom	Lucky Houdalakis (South Africa)	HSN du Preez, CF Strydom, L Houdalakis, CD Boyens	1:08.84
2011	Lucky Nine	4	Brett Prebble	Caspar Fownes (Hong Kong)	Dr Chang Fuk To & Maria Chang Lee Ming Shum	1:08.98
2012	Lord Kanaloa	4	Yasunari Iwata	Takayuki Yasuda (Japan)	Lord Horse Club	1:08.50
2013	Lord Kanaloa	5	Yasunari Iwata	Takayuki Yasuda (Japan)	Lord Horse Club	1:08.25
2014	Aerovelocity	6	Zac Purton	Paul O'Sullivan (Hong Kong)	Daniel Yeung Ngai	1:08.57
2015	Peniaphobia	4	João Moreira	Tony Cruz (Hong Kong)	Huang Kai Wen	1:08.74
2016	Aerovelocity	8	Zac Purton	Paul O'Sullivan (Hong Kong)	Daniel Yeung Ngai	1:08.80
2017	Mr Stunning	5	Nash Rawiller	John Size (Hong Kong)	Maurice Koo Win Chong	1:08.40
2018	Mr Stunning	6	Karis Teetan	Frankie Lor Fu-chuen (Hong Kong)	Maurice Koo Win Chong	1:08.85
2019	Beat The Clock	6	João Moreira	John Size (Hong Kong)	Merrick Chung Wai Lik	1:08.12
2020	Danon Smash	5	Ryan Moore	Takayuki Yasuda (Japan)	Danox Co Ltd	1:08.45
2021	Sky Field	5	Blake Shinn	Caspar Fownes (Hong Kong)	Kwan Shiu Man, Jessica Kwan Mun Hang & Jeffrey Kwan Chun Ming	1:08.66
2022	Wellington	6	Ryan Moore	Richard Gibson (Hong Kong)	Michael Cheng Wing On & Jeffrey Cheng Man Cheong	1:08.76
2023	Lucky Sweynesse	5	Zac Purton	Manfred Man Ka-leung (Hong Kong)	Cheng Ming Leung, Cheng Yu Tung Et Al	1:09.25
2024	Ka Ying Rising	4	Zac Purton	David A. Hayes	Ka Ying Syndicate	1:08.15

See also

• List of Hong Kong horse races

References

1. "Race Info – LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint - LONGINES Hong Kong International Races 2023 - The Hong Kong Jockey Club" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-12-10.

• Racing Post:
  • 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
  • 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
  • 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
• Racing Information of Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint (2011/12)
• Website of Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint (2011/12)
• The Hong Kong Jockey Club
• horseracingintfed.com – International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Hong Kong Sprint (2016).
• pedigreequery.com – Hong Kong Sprint – Sha Tin.