Latest news with #LonginesWorld
New Paper
07-07-2025
- Sport
- New Paper
Derby redemption for Delacroix in Eclipse thriller
SANDOWN Top-class jockey Ryan Moore produced Delacroix to deny Ombudsman right on the line in the £1 million (S$1.74 million) Group 1 Coral-Eclipse Stakes (2,000m) at Sandown on July 5. Prepared by Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien, the Dubawi three-year-old colt put a line through his last-start disappointing effort in the Group 1 Epsom Derby (2,400m) on June 7 - when he finished ninth to stablemate Lambourn - to beat the favourite Ombudsman by a neck. Improvement was expected to come from Delacroix, who won two Leopardstown Group 3 races over 2,000m this season in impressive fashion, in the small field of six. A good pointer was Moore sticking to Delacroix despite his last-start flop. But those who were still in his corner must have felt their faith was misplaced when Delacroix was shuffled back to last despite jumping on terms to settle in third behind Sosie (Maxime Guyon) and Hotazhell (Shane Foley) in the early stages. As soon as Godolphin's two leading fancies, Group 1 2000 Guineas (1,600m) winner Ruling Court (Oisin Murphy) and Royal Ascot scorer Ombudsman (William Buick) rushed forward, Delacroix suddenly found himself at the tail, with stablemate Camille Pissarro (Christophe Soumillon) for company. Into the home straight, Sosie hung on strongly on the rails but he was no match for the challengers. Both Ombudsman and Camille Pissarro made rapid ground, with the former hitting the front 200m out, but out from the rear, it was Delacroix who came throwing down the gauntlet. As he got into the clear, the $26 shot hunted down Ombudsman to go and snatch his maiden Group 1 win in the shadows of the post. The Charlie Appleby-trained Ruling Court took third, with O'Brien's Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) winner Camille Pissarro in fourth. Moore, a four-time Longines World's Best Jockey, had to call on all his artistry in the saddle to pull his mount to the outside and nab Ombudsman in the dying strides. "It wasn't the first, second or third plan, as no one really wanted to make it," said Moore. "William (Buick on Ombudsman) got first run on me, but he's a very good horse with a mighty turn of foot. "They went steady for this class of horse, but his turn of foot made the difference." Moore has won five Eclipse Stakes and combined with O'Brien on four of them. His last three victories atop StMark's Basilica (2021), Paddington (2023) and CityofTroy (2024) were also prepared by the master trainer. He won with Notnowcato in the 2007 Eclipse Stakes for the now-retired legendary trainer Sir Michael Stoute. AFP
New Paper
25-06-2025
- Sport
- New Paper
McDonald aims to equal record with Tiara crown
BRISBANE New Zealand jockey James McDonald will bid to equal Australia's national riding record that has stood for 45 years. Based in Sydney, McDonald has a final chance to equal the riding record for most number of Group 1 wins in a season, when he combines with Firestorm in the A$700,000 (S$580,000) Group 1 Tattersall's Tiara (1,400m) at Eagle Farm on June 28. The 2024 Longines World's Best Jockey has claimed 15 Group 1 races in the 2024-25 racing season. If he wins the Tattersall's Tiara - the final Group 1 race of the season -he will equal the feat of 16 Group 1 wins achieved by champion jockey Malcolm Johnston in 1979-80. Firestorm remains a 16-5 favourite despite drawing barrier 19, and will be one of four runners for Sydney premier trainer Chris Waller, along with Olentia, Konasana and emergency acceptor Gumdrops. Assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth believes the Satono Aladdin mare has the right profile for the race and just needs a genuine speed to produce her best. "She has got exceptional form behind Lady Shenandoah in the Coolmore (Classic) and then in the Doncaster Mile. They just didn't go quick enough for her. She needs a bit of tempo on," he said. "Her first-up run the other day was brilliant. It wasn't a very hard run so she has bounced through that. "She went to the farm for a couple of days and came back and she has done really well." Firestorm won the Group 2 Millie Fox Stakes (1,300m) and beat all but stablemate Lady Shenandoah in the Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1,500m), before her unplaced run in the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1,600m). She finished third to Tattersall's Tiara rival Floozie in the Group 2 Dane Ripper Stakes (1,300m) last start. Duckworth expects McDonald to be hungry, not only to equal Johnston's record, but also to ensure his afternoon is worthwhile. "James is only riding three on the day, so he is going to have to make them all count," quipped Duckworth. Zoustar mare Olentia ran a disappointing 10th in the Dane Ripper Stakes, but Duckworth has put a line through that. "She is a better horse than that," he said. Konasana ran fourth in two New Zealand Group 1 races, the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes (1,600m) and the Otaki-Maori Classic (1,600m), earlier this year and connections are keen to have another throw at the stumps. "She was unlucky not to win a Group 1 in New Zealand, so she is on the hunt for that elusive race," said Duckworth of the Dundeel mare. SKY RACING WORLD
NZ Herald
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Kiwi jockey James McDonald heads to Royal Ascot with US star
James McDonald, riding Nature Strip, wins the King's Stand Stakes at Ascot Racecourse in 2022. Photo / Supplied The world's best jockey is off to the world's best race meeting after all. And Kiwi riding sensation James McDonald has a new superstar to lure him all the way to England for Royal Ascot in a fortnight. McDonald was crowned Longines World's Best Jockey for 2024 in Hong Kong
Daily Mirror
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Romantic Warrior injury detailed after his welcome home ceremony was scrapped
The champion is joint second with fellow Hong Kong horse Ka Ying Rising in the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings. However Romantic Warrior will not be able to race at the moment due to injury Superstar Romantic Warrior has been found to have an injury after a welcome home ceremony for the horse was scrapped. The event at Sha Tin on Sunday, when fans were set to pay tribute to his achievements, was called off after potential changes in one of the horse's joints were detected. The Hong Kong Jockey Club's veterinary records have now been updated to show the earner of £21million of prize money has a left fore fetlock injury. The diagnosis comes more than month after Romantic Warrior was pipped to the post by Soul Rush in the Dubai Turf at Meydan. Danny Shum's trainee was in front until virtually the last stride but he came up agonisingly short in a bid for yet another Group One. 'He's had a long campaign. He ran his heart out,' jockey James McDonald said afterwards. Romantic Warrior was running for the first time since he suffered another narrow defeat to Forever Young in the Saudi Cup. But despite the star horse's recent losses, he still has legions of fans who were hoping to see their champion, jockey James McDonald and connections in Sha Tin's parade ring at the weekend. But an update from the HKJC said: "The Club's Veterinary Regulation, Welfare and Biosecurity Policy Department have provided advice on Romantic Warrior that the Club wishes to share with his many fans. 'Romantic Warrior is currently spelling following his return from his races in Dubai and Saudi Arabia. The horse has returned to Hong Kong presenting extremely well and has not exhibited any signs of lameness or any other clinical issues. 'Nevertheless, consistent with the Club's world-class procedures for the care of our racehorses, a detailed physical examination has been carried out, including imaging using our veterinary hospital's state-of-the-art equipment. 'This proactive screening has enabled a very early detection of some potential changes in one of the horse's joints. As a consequence of this systematic approach to ensuring horse welfare a management plan has been developed that will ensure that Romantic Warrior has an extremely good prognosis of such changes being fully addressed. 'Whilst Romantic Warrior would not face any risk from the planned ceremony to welcome his return to Hong Kong the Club nevertheless believes that the ceremony is not a priority and so it will not be held." Since 2021, Romantic Warrior has won 18 races, including ten at the highest level on a variety of surfaces and tracks. His record includes three editions of the Hong Kong and FWD QEII Cups, the 2024 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup and top flight successes in Australia, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. 'Romantic Warrior just a very good racehorse and he adapts to any circumstances during a race, to any pace and has a good turn of foot," McDonald said after Romantic Warrior's most recent strike in the Jebel Hatta at Meydan in January. "He's a very strong-minded horse, He could be a sprinter, that's how fast he is."
New Paper
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Paper
Voyage Bubble sweeps home to take Triple Crown
HONG KONG - Voyage Bubble rewrote Hong Kong's racing history with a stunning triumph in the HK$13 million (S$2.13 million) Group 1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2,400m) at Sha Tin on May 25, making light of stamina concerns with a record-equalling performance to draw the highest praise from James McDonald and Ricky Yiu. Given a perfect ride by McDonald, Voyage Bubble ($9) streaked to a 3½-length win over Rubylot (Hugh Bowman) and Cap Ferrat (Craig Williams) in 2min 26.67sec. The Yiu-trained six-year-old became only the second horse in Hong Kong's racing history, after River Verdon in 1993/94, to complete the Triple Crown by winning the Group 1 Stewards' Cup (1,600m), the Group 1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2,000m) and the Champions & Chater Cup in the same season. Demolishing nine rivals, Voyage Bubble claimed a fifth Group 1 win as the 2023 BMW Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) winner secured a HK$10 million Triple Crown bonus and the winner's purse of HK$7.28 million, to take his career earnings to HK$107.4 million for the Sunshine And Moonlight Syndicate. McDonald, the reigning Longines World's Best Jockey, revealed he thought the race - Hong Kong's 12th and final Group 1 of the season - was in his keeping at the 600m after Zac Purton's mid-race move on Ensued to join Moments in Time (Harry Bentley) and Dubai Honour (Tom Marquand) at the head of the field. With Ensued's acceleration stringing out the 10-horse field, the unflustered McDonald bided his time and gradually upped the tempo to hit the front at the 270m, before sweeping into history. "I couldn't have dreamed of it panning out as well as that - that's once in a blue moon," he said. "The stars aligned and, with that sort of run, he was going to be hard to beat even without such a good run... it all worked out. "From the 600m, he tacked up beautifully, the pace increased, everything was smooth, nothing was cluttered up. "I had a really smooth run the whole way. He's a brilliant horse. He just keeps raising the bar and keeps on surprising every time I ride him." McDonald has been aboard Voyage Bubble in all five of the Deep Field gelding's Group 1 wins and is still perplexed that the pair were beaten by outsider Red Lion in the Group 1 Champions Mile (1,600m) at Sha Tin on April 27. "I still can't believe he got beat last time, but he was just a different horse today. He was in the zone. He was 'prepped' up just beautifully by Yiu's stable," said the Kiwi rider. "So lucky to be riding him. He does everything you ask of him and he's so willing. He was on song today and he's just such a star. "He switches off and allows himself to get the distance so well and I just want to pay credit to the Yiu stable - they've done a remarkable job with this horse. "It's a great training effort - a mile to 2,400m. They've got a champion racehorse on their hands and he (Voyage Bubble) deserves all the accolades he gets. I'm very proud of him." Yiu, who has trained a string of champion sprinters including Sacred Kingdom, Fairy King Prawn and Amber Sky, was jubilant after saddling his first winner at 2,400m. "My dreams came true. Since I won the first two legs of the Triple Crown, I started dreaming. Now, my dreams have come true," said Yiu. "The closer I looked at the race today, the more I thought he would have a winning chance - his preparation was so good. "He's pure athletic. If you look at him, you can tell he's a high-class racehorse. He's performed up from a sprint to the maximum distance in Hong Kong. He's a genius." Voyage Boss ($69), who is also raced by members of the Sunshine And Moonlight Syndicate, triumphed on the undercard for Frankie Lor and Derek Leung, landing the Class 4 Makarpura Star Handicap (1,200m). Francis Lui's Packing Hermod ($7) slotted his sixth win in the Class 2 River Verdon Handicap (1,400m) under Purton. "He's more mature now and had a good draw today - the small field helped too," said Lui, who will set the four-year-old for the Group 3 Premier Cup Handicap (1,400m) at Sha Tin on June 22. Lui sealed a double after Luke Ferraris piloted Do Your Part ($21) to victory in the Class 4 Russian Emperor Handicap (1,400m). Mister Dapper ($13) clinched the Class 4 Helene Super Star Handicap (1,600m) for David Eustace and Brenton Avdulla, who later partnered John Size's 1,600th Hong Kong winner Stellar Express ($56) to score in the Class 3 Indigenous Handicap (1,000m). Purton also won on Shamus Storm ($11) in the Class 4 Exultant Handicap (1,400m) for trainer David Hayes. He then capped his day with a treble aboard Top Dragon ($31) in the Class 3 Oriental Express Handicap (1,400m) for Chris So. HKJC
