Hong Kong Horse Racing

Hong Kong Gold Cup

The Hong Kong Gold Cup is a thoroughbred horse race that is held annually at the Sha Tin racecourse. It was first held in January 14, 1979 which coincided with the infancy of the Privately Purchased Horses scheme. This 2000-metre horse race is open to race horses of at least three years of age. This turf race had an original distance of 1800 metres. It has a current total prize purse of HK$8,000,000.

Since the Hong Kong Triple Crown series was introduced in 1991, the Hong Kong Gold Cup has become the series’ second leg. This Group 1 race happens after the Steward’s Cup and before the Hong Kong Champions and Chater Cup.

The owner of the horse who will win all three Hong Kong Triple Crown races will be given a HK$5,000,000 bonus while a HK$2,000,000 will be given to the owner of the race horse that will win two of the three legs. Former Horse of the Year and Hong Kong Champion River Verdon has won this race three times. He also is the only horse to have won the Triple Crown and he did the feat in 1994.

During the last five years of the Hong Kong Gold Cup, trainer John Moore garnered three victories, one second place finish and one third place finish. Meanwhile, fellow trainer Anthony S. Cruz got one first place finish, two runner-up placings and three third-place finishes. In the same time frame, jockey Christophe Soumillon got one first place finish, one second place finish and one third place finish.

In the 2010 Hong Kong Gold Cup, Derby winner Collection silenced those who question his fitness coming into the race to win the race by 1 ¼ lengths. However, the results were held in suspense as race officials listened to jockey Christophe Soumillion’s objection that Collection interfered with the run of his horse, Thumbs Up, in the last 150 metres of the race. The protest was then overruled.

Being the favourite coming into the 2010 Hong Kong Gold Cup, Collection started slow and took the back of the field with champion miler Good Ba Ba with Sight Winner setting the tempo early while Packing Winner is within striking distance.

Collection’s jockey, Darren Beadman, started his move halfway through the final turn and he elevated Collection’s gears in the straight. They eventually surged past the leaders to claim the victory but not before Soumillon claimed that he interfered. Due to Collection’s good run at that time, the racing steward did not think that the interference did have an effect in the result. Mr. Medici finished third.

Hong Kong Gold Cup Recent History: