Hong Kong: World #1 Golden Sixty has been ruled out of a proposed overseas test in Japan and will remain in Hong Kong with a hat-trick on wins in the Longines Hong Kong Mile as his primary objective.
The superstar six-year-old became the first Hong Kong-trained horse to top Thoroughbred Racing Commentary’s Global Rankings last month when he completed back-to-back success in the FWD Champions Mile at Sha Tin.
The victory also means he is the highest prize-money earner in HK racing history with a bank of HK$113,400,600, thereby surpassing Beauty Generation’s career mark.
New world order: Golden Sixty hits #1 spot on Global Rankings for Hong Kong
Golden Sixty’s connections were eyeing his first overseas assignment in the prestigious Yasuda Kinen in Tokyo on June 5 – but trainer Francis Lui said that G1 target was no longer on the agenda and the gelding is finished for the 2021-22 season.
“We’ve decided not to go,” said Lui, speaking to the HKJC media team. “We discussed it with the owner yesterday and we’ve decided to let the horse take a rest and we’ll start again next season.
“Everything is fine with the horse,” added Lui. “The main target is the Hong Kong Mile for three wins in a row.”
The reigning HK horse of the year 21 wins from 24 starts, all of them in Hong Kong. With a total of 2,044pts, he remains world #1 on the latest edition of TRC Global Rankings ahead of Australia’s star sprinter Nature Strip (2,010pts).
Meanwhile, the most notable mover on the rankings last week was Jackie’s Warrior (#4 from #15, +161pts) for his impressive four-length victory over a strong field in the G1 Churchill Downs Stakes on the Kentucky Derby undercard.
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