A much-anticipated Group One QEII Cup (2,000m) race has been reduced to nine after the Japan Mile Museum was eliminated by three locals on Monday.
The combination of two Group One Museum Mile winners confirmed to The Jockey Club on Monday that he would not be replacing him.
Reports in Japan over the weekend indicated that the confederates had been told by the Jockey Club that he would not be able to pass a Hong Kong vet check, based on videos of his run.
Classic Cup (1,800m) winner Stormy Grove has also been withdrawn as expected, while the John Size-trained Ensued – who ran fourth to Tastiera in last year’s QEII Cup – and Tony Cruz’s Gentlemen Legacy were also scratched on Monday.
The withdrawal of the Museum Mile will further highlight the HK$30 million feature, but there will still be plenty of excitement in the battle between Hong Kong champion Romantic Warrior, Japan’s Masquerade Ball, French star Sosie and British Champion Royal.
As it stands, the field of nine will be the smallest since Romantic Warrior claimed his second of three consecutive QEII Cups when he dominated six opponents in 2023.
Small races have become a trend in Hong Kong’s third richest race in recent years. The Japanese Only Love You – one of only two winners to win the QEII Championship – and Exultant also won across seven fields in 2021 and 2020 respectively.
Romantic Warrior will add to his record-breaking fourth QEII when he tries over 1,600m at Sha Tin on Tuesday morning, while the international Group One raiders on the FWD Champions Day arrive in Hong Kong on Friday and the weekend.
In other Champions Day news, Oisin Murphy has been placed to ride Royal Champion in the QEII Championship with Comanche Brave in the Group One Chairman’s Race Prize (1,200m).
Murphy continues his Royal Champion journey after guiding the Karl Burke-trained jockey to victory in the Group One Neom Turf Cup at Riyadh in February on his last start.
Comanche Brave, a two-time winner for Irish trainer Donnacha O’Brien, faces a serious challenge to take on the world’s best sprinter Ka Ying Rising. He has been placed in the Abu Dhabi Gold Cup (1,600m) and the Group Two Turf Sprint (1,351m) in his last two starts.
Top Australian jockey Mark Zahra will ride the Harry Eustace-trained Docklands in the Group One Champion Mile.
Yuen started quickly
Student Nichola Yuen Hang-yiu has certainly done well in her first three meetings in Hong Kong, hitting four winners from just 18 outings for an excellent strike rate of 22 per cent.
Trainers have been taking advantage of the 25-year-old’s 10lb claim and he will be needed more on the back of his two-time Sha Tin for master trainer Ricky Yiu Poon-fai on Sunday.
Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges was delighted to see Yuen’s good start and to have two female riders on the list, with classmate Britney Wong Po-ni another.
“Obviously we have a girl with a lot of potential, who is doing really well and seems to be building a fan base,” Engelbrecht-Bresges said of Yuen.
“This is what we’ve always wanted, to have talent here – not just men but women who deserve to ride here. That’s very encouraging.”
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