Hong Kong Cup
| When | December 10, 2017 |
| Distance | 2000m |
| Track | Sha Tin Racecourse |
| Address | Sha Tin District, Hong Kong |
| Group One Races | Hong Kong Cup, Hong Kong Sprint, Hong Kong Mile, Hong Kong Vase |
THE Hong Kong Cup is the final feature race at the International Meeting at Sha Tin and it usually features an international field of quality runners.The 2000m Group one was first run in 1988 and since then it has attracted world-wide fame and a string of champion winners. Names such as Jim And Tonic, Fantastic Light, Designs On Rome and 2015 winner A Shin Hikari have graced the Cup in recent history and since 1990 it has become a race open to horses all over the world. Come 1992, horses from United States, Canada and Japan were allowed to run in the Hong Kong Cup and that has stood the test of time.
Hong Kong Cup betting
The Hong Kong Cup has been won by diverse and usually very talented horses with none more so than last year’s Japanese winner and champion Maurice. Because there are so many good horses in Hong Kong for the International Meeting it can often be raffle who wins the Cup.
A good indicate of the key chances in these races is the jockey onboard the horse. If Joao Moreira is onboard you can guarantee his mount is a chance because he generally is given the plumb rides. While many of Australia’s best like Hugh Bowman and James McDonald (pre-suspension) make the trek over for the race.
Hong Kong Cup Field 2017
| No. | Silks | Horse/Bred | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Odds |
| 1 | 
|
Deauville | A O’Brien | Ryan Moore | 2 | 57 | $12 |
| 2 | 
|
Neorealism | Noriyuki Hori | J Moreira | 1 | 57 | $6 |
| 3 | 
|
Poet’s Word | Sir M Stoute | A Atzeni | 12 | 57 | $7 |
| 4 | 
|
Werther | J Moore | Tommy Berry | 3 | 57 | $2.80 |
| 5 | 
|
Staphanos | H Fujiwara | J Bowman | 8 | 57 | $13 |
| 6 | 
|
Secret Weapon | C H Yip | N Rawiller | 11 | 57 | $19 |
| 7 | 
|
Robin Of Navan | H J Dunlop | S Clipperton | 4 | 57 | $41 |
| 8 | 
|
Garlingari | C Barande-Barbe | S Pasquier | 6 | 57 | $26 |
| 9 | 
|
Time Warp | A S Cruz | Z Purton | 5 | 57 | $6 |
| 10 | 
|
War Decree | A O’Brien | J A Heffernan | 7 | 57 | $21 |
| 11 | 
|
Blonde Me | A Balding | O Murphy | 10 | 55.5 | $21 |
| 12 | 
|
Smart Layer | R Okubo | Y Take | 9 | 55.5 | $11 |
Recent Hong Kong Cup winners
2016: Maurice was having its last start before heading off to stud and it made a great impact on its way out. The Japanese star didn’t jump well with Ryan Moore in the saddle and it was giving A Shin Hikari many lengths into the home straight, but the champion reeled it in quick smart before running away with the victory at the odds-on price of $1.70. Read report here.
2016 Hong Kong Cup result
| Result | Horse | Price |
| 1st | Maurice | $1.70 |
| 2nd | Secret Weapon | $2.70 |
| 3rd | Staphanos | $3.80 |
Exotic payouts
| Type | Payout |
| Quinella | $11.80 |
| Trifecta | $110.40 |
| First Four | $1082 |
2015: A Shin Hikari burst onto the world scene when winning the Hong Kong Cup in 2015. The Japanese-trained runner was the fourth Japanese winner of the Hong Kong Cup and the first since Agnes Digital won in 2001. A Shin Hikari paid $26 for the win in what was considered a big upset. It set a strong pace in front and it held on to score by a length in a race record time.
2014: Designs Of Rome was a popular winner in 2014 for trainer John Moore and champion jockey Joao Moreira. The son of Holy Roman Emperor was a stylish winner over the likes of Military Attack and Australian runner Criterion. In its usual style, Designs On Rome settle at the rear of the field before producing a big finishing burst down the outside.
2013: Akeed Mofeed wasn’t one of the most popular Hong Kong Cup victors in recent history, but the Richard Gibson-trained runner was too good for its rivals in 2013 and it would later represent Hong Kong at the Dubai World Cup. It paid a short price on the tote with bookmakers when holding out Japanese entrant Tokei Halo and Cirrus des Aigles.
2012/2011: California Memory made it back-to-back victories in 2011 and 2012. The Tony Cruz-trained champion ran almost two seconds quicker when winning for the second time in 2012. It defeated the likes of Giofra and Australian-performed Alcopop which firmly put it into the record books. Matthew Chadwick rode it to victory on both occasions.
Hong Kong Cup records and statistics
The race record belongs to A Shin Hikari, which ran 2:00.60 when winning in 2015. It became the fourth Japanese-trained runner to win the Hong Kong Cup.
California Memory is the only horse to win more than one Hong Kong Cup when Matthew Chadwick was in the saddle, but Frankie Dettori has won three as a jockey.
The Italian champion won aboard Fantastic Light in 2000, Falbrav in 2003 and Ramonti in 2007.
Godolphin trainer Saeed Bin Suroor has won the race twice with Fantastic Light and Ramonti. Local trainer Tony Cruz has also had two victories in consecutive years with California Memory.
Past Hong Kong Cup champions
| Year | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Time |
| 1988 | Flying Dancer | Brian Kan Ping-chee | Bartie Leisher | 1:48.60 |
| 1989 | Colonial Chief / Grey Invader | Ivan W. Allan / Alvin Clark | Tony Cruz / Gary Stewart | 1:49.30 |
| 1990 | Kessem | Brian Smith | Kevin Moses | 1:48.40 |
| 1991 | River Verdon | David Hill | Gerald Mosse | 1:49.80 |
| 1992 | Romanee Conti | Laurie Laxon | Greg Childs | 1:48.20 |
| 1993 | Motivation | John Moore | John Marshall | 1:49.20 |
| 1994 | State Taj | John L Riley | Damien Oliver | 1:48.40 |
| 1995 | Fujiyama Kenzan | Hideyuki Mori | Masayoshi Ebina | 1:47.00 |
| 1996 | First Island | Geoff Wragg | Michael Hills | 1:48.20 |
| 1997 | Val’s Prince | James E Picou | Cash Asmussen | 1:47.20 |
| 1998 | Midnight Bet | Hiroyuki Nagahama | Hiroshi Kawachi | 1:46.90 |
| 1999 | Jim and Tonic | Francois Doumen | Gerald Mosse | 2:01.40 |
| 2000 | Fantastic Light | Saeed bin Suroor | Frankie Dettori | 2:02.20 |
| 2001 | Agnes Digital | Toshiaki Shirai | Hirofumi Shii | 2:02.80 |
| 2002 | Precision | David Oughton | Michael Kinane | 2:07.10 |
| 2003 | Flabrav | Luca Cumani | Frankie Dettori | 2:00.90 |
| 2004 | Alexander Goldrun | Jim Bolger | Kevin Manning | 2:03.30 |
| 2005 | Vengeance Of Rain | David E Ferrais | Anthony Delpech | 2:04.50 |
| 2006 | Pride | Alain de Royer-Dupre | Chrisophe Lemaire | 2:02.80 |
| 2007 | Ramonti | Saeed Bin Suroor | Frankie Dettori | 2:00.92 |
| 2008 | Eagle Mountain | Mike de Kock | Kevin Shea | 2:01.86 |
| 2009 | Vision d’Etat | Eric Libaud | Olivier Peslier | 2:02.94 |
| 2010 | Snow Fairy | Ed Dunlop | Ryan Moore | 2:05.57 |
| 2011 | California Memory | Anthony S Cruz | Mathew Chadwick | 2:03.09 |
| 2012 | California Memory | Anthony S Cruz | Mathew Chadwick | 2:03.09 |
| 2013 | Akeed Mofeed | Richard Gibson | Douglas Whyte | 2:01.96 |
| 2014 | Designs On Rome | John Moore | Joao Moreira | 2:01.96 |
| 2015 | A Shin Hikari | Masanori Sakaguchi | Yutaka Take | 2:00.60 |
| 2016 | Maurice | Noriyuki Hori | Ryan More | 2:00.95 |
| 2017 |
Hong Kong Cup betting sites in 2017
All of our recommended bookmakers offer betting on the Group 1 Hong Kong Cup for most of the year, which makes it a popular betting race. They also offer great bonus bet promotions for all four International Meeting Group one races, which will be available in the specials and promotions section.
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