California Spangle triumphed last year, Golden Sixty took the title in both 2020 and 2021 and the three of the four editions prior were won by either Beauty Generation or Beauty Only.
This year’s running of the Hong Kong Mile on Sunday at Sha Tin, sees Golden Sixty, California Spangle and Beauty Eternal – who shares Beauty Generation and Beauty Only’s owner, Patrick Kwok Ho Chuen – as the top three in the market with bet365.
Golden Sixty is comfortably the favourite (2.60) as the eight-year-old goes for his third Mile win, having only been beaten by a neck last year and has since won three from three, all Grade 1 (G1) races at Sha Tin.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: December 9th, 1:30 P.M. (GMT)
He beat Hong Kong Cup favourite Romantic Warrior in the Steward’s Cup before beating both him and California Spangle in the Hong Kong Gold Cup. If getting his own back once was not enough, he beat California Spangle again in the Champions Mile in April, all under the only jockey to ride him – Vincent Ho.
Zac Purton rode California Spangle to victory a year ago, as well as in those defeats to Golden Sixty, but he was replaced after the five-year-old came back from a few months away in October, winning a G2 before only coming fourth of five in the G2 Jockey Club Mile.
A S Cruz brings 2019 winner Christophe Soumillon in to ride the 8.00 chance for the first time.
At 6.00, Beauty Eternal separates the two former winners in the market, which should not come as a surprise as the 5-year-old was the victor of last month’s Jockey Club Mile. Before that, John Size’s runner was third in the Sha Tin Trophy.
Though he has never experienced a G1 before, having four-time winner Purton could be the difference maker.
Japan’s best chances are 12.00 shots Serifos and Namur. Serifos won the 2022 Mile Championship at Hanshin but could only finish in mid-division in this year’s running, which Namur triumphed in at Kyoto.
Soul Rush (13.00) was runner-up in that race in Kyoto last month and fourth in 2022 but has never won at a level above G3. At 16.00 is Kwok Ho Chuen’s other runner, Beauty Joy, who has finished in the first four in 10 of his last 14 without taking a win, coming second in the Jockey Club Mile last time.
Best of the rest in the 14-strong field is Godolphin’s Tribalist, the mount of Mikael Barzalona, at 23.00. It is 26.00 bar.
