HK Champions & Chater Cup

THE Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup is a Group 1 event held at Sha Tin, as the final leg of the Hong Kong Triple Crown.

Raced over the staying distance of 2400m, the Champions & Chater Cup is one of the longest-standing races in Hong Kong and it’s also one of the most important.

The race completes the HK Triple Crown following the Steward’s Cup and Hong Kong Gold Cup.

2018 Champions & Chater result

Best Champions & Chater bookmakers

The Hong Kong races aren’t prioritised as much as other top-tier races in Australia by the online bookmakers, but any bookie worth their salt will have markets up in the week leading up to the Champions & Chater Cup.

Click on any of the bookmakers below to read our comprehensive reviews on the online bookmakers.

2019 Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup odds

The odds for the 2019 Champions & Chater Cup haven’t been released by bookmakers yet, but we will update this list when they become available.

Hong Kong Champions & Chater history

The first running of the Champions & Chater Cup came in 1870 when the race was known as “The Champions Stakes”.

It would later become the Champions & Chater Cup, named in honour of Sir Paul Chater – a prominent Hong Kong businessman and owner.

One of the more popular betting races in Hong Kong, it attracts special attention because it’s the final leg of the Triple Crown, but that has been achieved only once.

Tony Cruz has dominated the race in recent history with wins from 2013-2016. These wins came with both Blazing Speed, California Memory and Helene Super Star, but John Moore is still the most successful trainer this century.

Moore scored with Werther in 2017, Mighty High in 2011 and three-time winner Viva Pataca (2009, 2007, 2006). He holds the record with Ivan Allan, who trained five consecutive winners of the race and he did it with four individual winners.

Australian or Australian-based jockeys have a good record in the Champions & Chater Cup with Hugh Bowman winning in 2017 with Werther and Darren Beadman winning in 2011 with Mighty High.

Shane Dye, Brett Prebble and Australian-based Robbie Fradd are also past winners of the Sha Tin feature.

Recent Champions & Chater Cup results

• 2018: Pakistan Stars to record second G1 win
  Fan favourite Pakistan Star went into the 2018 Champions & Chater Cup as a extremely short-priced favourite, and did not disappoint. In a five horse field the enigmatic star cruised behind Exultant for the majority of the race before kicking away at the 400m to record a soft victory.
• 2017: Werther wows the Hong Kong crowd
  Werther established itself as the premier staying thoroughbred in Hong Kong when taking out the 2017 Champions & Chater Cup. The former New Zealand and Australian runner was simply brilliant with Hugh Bowman in the saddle and although its winning time wasn’t overly impressive, Werther improved nicely after running third in 2016 and punters left Sha Tin extremely happy.
• 2016: Blazing Speed makes history
  Blazing Speed wasn’t one of the fancied runners in the field at around $8, but Tony Cruz was confident it could upset $1.70 favourite and 2017 winner Werther. The seven-year-old showed its blazing speed and it was too good for the opposition, which included horses bred from Ireland and New Zealand. Blazing Speed ran the quickest time (2:26.18) since Packing Winner in 2008.
• 2015: Moore pain for John as Cruz's Helene Super Star scores
  Tony Cruz yet again got the better of John Moore when Helene Super Star defeated Dominant and Helene Happy Star by a short head, long neck. The Moore-trained duo tried hard, but couldn’t defeat the $6.70 chance in the run to the line. 2016 winner Blazing Speed finishing in fourth for Tony Cruz and the first four positions were filled by the first four in the betting.
• 2014: Blazing Speed wins in a titanic battle
  Blazing Speed won the first of two Champion & Chater Cup wins in 2014. The Cruz-trained five-year-old held off Military Attack by a head in one of the closest finishes in the races’ history. Under a length covered the first four home, which also included Endowing and 2013 winner California Memory. The win was also the first of two for jockey Neil Callan.
• 2013: California Memory registers Cruz' first of four
  California Memory was the first of four consecutive wins for trainer Tony Cruz and is was one of the more impressive. The seven-year-old was well-fancied in the betting and it gave punters plenty of reason to cheer. The win came over the popular Willie Cazals, with Dominant finishing a further half-length back in third. Quality thoroughbreds Thumbs Up and Fay Fay finished further down the field.

Previous Champions & Chater Cup winners

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