#Lei Papale

Triple Crown winner Contrail looks tailor-made for the Osaka Hai over his favoured trip but faces a speedy rival in Gran Alegria The growing sense of anticipation among Flat racing fans in Britain this weekend is felt just as keenly in Japan where the season is also ready to burst into life. The first Grade 1 race of the turf season, the…

Curren Bouquetd'or, Kiseki and Miss Mamma Mia placed fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. Chrono Genesis, the runner-up at the Dubai Sheema Classic on March 27, was in contention throughout this race, as were pace-setters Unicorn Lion and Lei Papale. Wipe Tears faded in the latter stages of the race, slipping from third to 10th. Chrono Genesis,…

A visit to the free-to-enter Hong Kong Racing Museum which overlooks the bend after the stands at Happy Valley racecourse gives an interesting insight into the sport's development in the former British colony. Racing in Hong Kong began as an amateur form of entertainment among the ex-pats in those colonial days but, for what remains a small-scale…

The Hong Kong International Raceday has arrived with four Group Ones on the menu, highlighted by the HK$34million Longines Hong Kong Cup. Race 1 - Class 4 (1400m) The opener is a Class 4 over the 1400m and CIRCUIT MIGHTY (1) can just about make it back to back wins. The five-year-old has come back in good order this season and was too good for…

James McDonald guides Romantic Warrior to victory in the Group 2 Jockey Club Cup at Sha Tin last month. Picture: Lo Chun Kit-Getty Images James McDonald has a lot of big races on his CV but he's determined to add the Group 1 Hong Kong Cup to that list and he won't get many better opportunities than this Sunday with rising star Romantic Warrior. The…

There are a few names familiar to American racegoers that are heading to Hong Kong for the international raceday next month. Most are from Ireland. The foreign challenge for the four rich turf races includes a quartet from Aidan O'Brien's Ballydoyle team, all of whom have run in the United States. Heading O'Brien's team is the shock 2020 Breeders'…

This Sunday, Nov. 28, Tokyo Racecourse hosts the Grade 1 Japan Cup, the iconic invitational gala that has been instrumental in boosting Japan's horses and horsemen to the heights of international competitiveness they now enjoy. Some JPY 648 million, over USD 6 million, is up for grabs. Japan's horses have monopolized the winner's circle for the…

There aren't many racedays around the world that match Hong Kong International Day. Perhaps only Dubai World Cup Day, Royal Ascot, Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe Day, and the Breeders' Cup are as strong a magnet for international horses as the four Group 1 races up for grabs here. Hong Kong racing has also become much stronger over the years. Horses…

Dubai Honour: beaten at Royal Ascot but has come a long way since Dubai Honour suffered a handicap defeat off a mark of 91 on his first start of the year and ends it 30lb higher in the world's richest 1m2f turf race, but quick conditions - according to his camp - at Sha Tin may reduce his chances in Sunday's Longines Hong Kong Cup (8.30). The…

Messier wins Sunday's Bob Hope Stakes at Del Mar for trainer Bob Baffert. Benoit photo, courtesy of Del Mar Turf Club Nov. 15, 2021 Trainer Bob Baffert saddled the winners of both 2-year-old races at Del Mar, Bell's the One was a popular winner at Churchill Downs, while Mandate scored a big upset at Aqueduct in highlights of weekend horse…